UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT    LOS  ANGELES,. 


HIGH  SCHOOL 
MUSIC  TEACHING 


FOR  SUPERINTENDENTS,  MUSIC 

SUPERVISORS,  GRADE  AND 

HIGH  SCHOOL  TEACHERS 


BY 

T.  P.  GJDDINGS 

SUPERVISOR    OF    MUSIC, 

PUBLIC   SCHOOLS, 

MINNEAPOLIS 

AND 

EARL  L.  BAKER 

ASSISTANT    SUPERVISOR   OF    MUSIC 
WEST  HIGH  SCHOOL, 

MINNEAPOLIS 


46665 

PUBLISHED   BY 

EARL  L.  BAKER 

3800   COLUMBUS    AVE., 
MINNEAPOLIS,    MINN. 


Copyright,  1922 

By  T.  P.  GIDDINGS 
and  EARL  L.  BAKER 

MINNEAPOLIS,   MINN. 


PRESS  OF 

AUGSBURG   PUBLISHING    HOUSE 
MINNEAPOLIS,    MINN. 


93  0 
G 


HIGH  SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

IT  is  admitted  by  all  who  study  the  question  that 
high  school  music  is  only  beginning  even  when  the 
enormous  advances  that  have  been  made  in  the  last 
few  years  are  taken  into  consideration. 

The  essentials  of  high  school  music  are  intro- 
duced in  the  order  of  their  importance,  as  they 
appear  to  the  authors. 

This  is  a  book  of  methods,  facts  and  experiences, 
and  not  a  book  of  theories.  Everything  referred  to 
has  been  done  successfully  and  proved  to  be  worth 
while. 

This  book  may  sound  personal  in  spots.  One 
cannot  put  himself  into  a  book  without  being  a  trifle 
personal.  We  do  not  apologise.  We  are  too  old 
to  be  modest  and  so  merely  explain. 

To  the  earnest,  hard  working  supervisors  who 
are  fulfilling  their  mission  of  making  the  next  gen- 
eration a  musical  one,  this  book  is  respectfully  dedi- 
cated. 

THE  AUTHORS. 


HIGH  SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

SUBJECT 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     EDUCATIONAL  VALUE     ....  7 

II.     CHORUS 18 — 

III.  GLEE  CLUBS 83- 

IV.  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS    .      .      .  103 
V.     CONDUCTING 121 

VI.  CONCERTS  AND  ENTERTAINMENTS  .  128 

VII.  CREDITS  FOR  APPLIED  Music     .      .  149 

VIII.  INSTRUMENTAL  AND  VOCAL  CLASSES  161 — 

IX.  GENERAL  SUPERVISION   .      .      .      .  170 

X.  HARMONY,  HISTORY,  APPRECIATION  187 

It  is  suggested  that  supervisors  get  "Grade  School 
Music  Teaching,"  by  T.  P.  Giddings,  and  read  it 
with  •particular  reference  to  the  chapters  on  Singing, 
Reading  Music,  Ear  Training,  Voice  Testing,  Voice 
Training,  and  Theory.  All  these  chapters  have  a 
direct  connection  with  the  high  school  work,  but  it 
was  thought  best  not  to  duplicate  them  in  the  two 
books. 


HIGH  SCHOOL  MUSIC 
TEACHING 


CHAPTER  I 
EDUCATIONAL  VALUE 

Music  in  the  high  schools  is  often  looked  upon 
as  a  pleasant  pastime.  While  its  presence  in  the 
high  school  can  be  justified  even  on  this  ground,  it 
has  also  an  educational  value.  When  music  is  cor- 
rectly taught,  nothing  in  the  whole  curriculum  com- 
pares with  it  for  general  usefulness.  Let  us  see 
what  facts  we  can  marshal  to  prove  these  statements 
to  a  skeptical  army  of  educational  experts. 

MENTAL  SIDE  OF  MUSIC 

Let  us  first  look  at  the  mental  side  of  music 
study.  A  pupil  goes  to  school  to  train  his  brain 
so  that  he  can  use  it  in  a  rapid,  accurate  manner., 
While  in  every  other  subject  except  music  accuracy  ^ 
is  demanded,  little  or  nothing  is  said  of  the  speed 
with  which  the  mind  should  move.  Though  speed 
is  one  of  the  main  elements  of  efficiency,  in  the  edu- 
cation of  the  child  it  is  often  ignored.  In  reading 
music  the  pace  is  set,  and  the  brain  must  keep  up. 
This  cultivates  a  habit  of  rapid  mental  action  that 


8  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

is  useful  in  all  lines  of  activity.  If  a  person  reads 
music,  vocal  or  instrumental,  his  mind  works  rapidly 
and  rhythmically.  Hence  the  study  of  music  teaches 
the  mind  to  move. 

In  reading  music,  the  pupil  must  not  only  get 
his  own  part  but  he  must  read  all  the  other  parts, 
listen  to  all  the  other  parts  and  the  accompaniment, 
and  see  that  he  is  with  the  rest  of  the  singers  and 
players  both  as  to  time  and  intonation.  In  addi- 
tion he  must  interpret  the  meaning  of  both  words 
and  music.  When  we  consider  how  many  involved 
symbols  the  eye  must  translate  in  a  short  time  and 
how  many  sounds  the  ear  must  classify  in  reading 
music,  we  may  conclude  that  the  mind  must  be 
pretty  nimble  to  carry  on  all  these  processes  simul- 
taneously and  at  the  speed  the  music  requires.  The 
question  is  now  raised  by  the  skeptic,  "Can  it  be 
done?"  Where  the  school  sings  only  trite  songs 
the  answer  is  "No."  If  the  music  is  taught  as  it 
should  be,  the  answer  is  "Yes." 

If  deeper  and  more  logical  thinking  is  desired,  a. 
course  in  harmony,  counterpoint,  composition,  and 
other  studies  in  the  theory  of  music  may  well  be  pit-, 
ted  against  mathematics  as  a  means  of  intellectual 
development.     Yes,   it  is   true   as   President  Eliot ^ 
says,  "Music,  rightly  taught,  is  the  best  mind  trainer/ 
on  the  list."* 

Three  years  ago,  Prof.  Henneman,  then  of  St.  Louis,  lec- 
tured to  the  high  school  students  of  Minneapolis  on  "How  a 


EDUCATIONAL    VALUE  9 


MORAL  AND  EMOTIONAL 

Able  pens  have  already  written  of  the  moral  up- 
lift caused  by  hearing  and  performing  music  of  the 
best  kind,  so  further  comment  here  on  the  moral 
and  emotional  value  of  music  and  its  study  is  un- 
necessary. 

SELFISHNESS 

A  great  flaw  in  the  education  of  the  young  as 
it  is  now  carried  on  is  its  development  of  selfish- 
ness. The  pupil  is  goaded  to  his  work  by  having 
held  up  to  him  the  inducement  that,  if  he  studies 
hard,  he  will  get  something  out  of  it  for  himself. 
Seldom  is  it  suggested  to  him  that  if  he  studies  hard 

composer  works."  While  he  was  in  Minneapolis  he  received 
a  letter  from  an  old  friend  who  is  at  the  head  of  the  music 
department  of  Magdalen  College,  Oxford  University.  All  the 
music  in  Oxford  University  is  taught  in  this  college,  which 
is  very  old  and  wealthy,  and  many  prizes  and  scholarships 
are  offered  to  its  students.  Of  these  a  few  are  in  music,  but 
most  in  other  branches. 

This  letter  contained  the  following  proof  of  President  Eliot's 
statements  quoted  above. 

Ten  per  cent  of  the  students  of  Magdalen  College  take 
music. 

Ninety  per  cent  do  not. 

The  ten  per  cent  taking  music  receive  seventy-five  per  cent 
of  all  those  prizes  and  scholarships;  in  all  departments,  mind 
you. 

The  ninety  per  cent  not  taking  music  are  contented  with,  or 
at  least  have  to  put  up  with,  the  remaining  twenty-five  per 
cent  of  the  prizes  and  scholarships. 

This  rather  amazing  record  has  been  the  average  for  the 
last  thirty  years. 


10  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

he  may  be  able  to  do  something  for  some  one  else. 
It  should  be  shown  that  if  he  learns  to  play  or  sing, 
he  can  give  pleasure  to  others.  When  he  is  a  mem- 
ber of  a  chorus  or  an  orchestra,  or  any  other  body 
of  musicians  doing  ensemble  work,  he  will  learn 
that  he  must  do  his  part  well  so  that  the  others  may 
do  their  parts  well.  Thus  the  great  lesson  of  co- 
operation that  the  world  so  sadly  needs  is  brought 
home  to  the  boy  or  girl  in  a  way  that  is  most  effec- 
tive. Baseball  and  football  teach  this  cooperation 
to  a  few,  but  in  a  high  school  chorus  all  can  learn  it. 
Music  also  cultivates  the  spirit  of  altruism. 
Young  people  should  be  encouraged  to  hold  their 
talents  in  readiness  for  free  and  frequent  use  for 
the  good  of  the  community.  This  use,  of  course, 
reacts  upon  the  individual  in  a  very  positive  way  for 
good  and  is  a  strong  influence  for  counteracting  evil 
tendencies. 

PHYSICAL 

The  practice  of  music  is  recognized  to  be  of 
great  value  as  a  means  of  physical  development.  To 
the  singer  or  to  the  player  of  wind  instruments  there 
comes  the  finest  kind  of  lung  development,  which 
is  conducive  to  a  long  and  healthy  life.  The  prac- 
tice of  music  has  also  a  direct  and  beneficial  effect 
upon  the  brain.  When  the  blood  circulates  rapidly 
and  evenly,  as  it  does  when  we  breathe  deeply,  the 
mind  is  in  that  calm,  alert  state  that  allows  it  to 
be  used  with  the  highest  efficiency.  ["The  physical 


EDUCATIONAL    VALUE  11 

control  necessary  for  the  successful  playing  of  any 
instrument  or  in  singing,  will  induce  habits  of  phys- 
ical poise  and  mental  equilibrium  that  make  for 
culture,  strength  of  character,  and  ability.  ^— — — 


VOCATIONAL 

Last  on  the  list  of  education  values,  though  by 
no  means  unimportant,  is  the  vocational  value  of 
music.  Long  before  the  present  wave  of  vocational 
training  swept  over  the  country  the  competent  music 
supervisor  was  turning  out  pupils  who  could  earn 
money  with  their  music.  As  a  result  of  the  prac- 
tice, encouragement,  and  training  received  in  the 
schools  thousands  of  pupils  have  found  places  in 
church  choirs.  Pupils  from  school  orchestras  are 
joining  the  musicians'  unions  and  getting  the  regular 
fees,  or  playing  independently.  Many  young  peo- 
ple work  their  way  through  college  with  the  help 
of  their  music.  Motion  picture  theatres  engage 
many.  A  student  who  goes  to  college  is  greatly 
helped  if  he  can  sing  or  play. 

One  of  the  frequent  handicaps  of  life  is  the 
inability  to  express  oneself  in  a  forceful  and  con- 
vincing manner.  A  doctor,  lawyer,  preacher,  teach- 
er, or  business  man  needs  the  development  of  the 
speaking  voice  which  comes  from  singing  correctly. 
When  the  doctor  comes,  if  his  voice  is  hard  and 
raspy,  we  are  apt  to  feel  worse  after  his  visit.  If 
his  voice  is  kind,  sympathetic,  smooth,  and  clear,  we 
feel  better  immediately.  If  the  minister's  voice  is 


12  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

unemotional,  his  prayer  or  sermon  has  not  the  effect 
that  it  would  have  had  if  he  had  spoken  in  a  well- 
modulated  voice.  A  lawyer  who  does  not  have 
good  vocal  control  certainly  cannot  expect  to  influ- 
ence a  jury.  The  same  criticisms  apply  to  teachers. 
In  fact  we  might  enumerate  dozens  of  vocations  in 
which  good  or  bad  use  of  the  voice  may  help  to 
spell  success  or  failure.  Realizing  all  of  this,  would 
it  not  be  well  for  superintendents  and  principals  to 
understand  that  while  the  musical  education  given 
in  the  high  school  may  not  be  of  especial  value  from 
a  vocational  standpoint  during  the  student's  school 
life,  it  may  mean  a  great  deal  to  him  later. 

INITIATIVE 

The  greatest  thing  we  can  develop  in  the  pupil 
in  any  line  is  initiative,  no  matter  what  form  or  di- 
rection it  takes.  The  pupil  who  has  initiative  will 
be  able  to  go  out  into  the  world  and  carve  a  place 
for  himself  far  more  easily  than  the  one  who  simply 
does  what  he  is  told.  There  is  a  fine  field  for  the 
development  of  initiative  in  the  music  classes.  The 
pupil  who  leads  his  section  of  the  chorus  is  develop- 
ing courage  to  do  many  other  things  without  being 
pushed  or  prompted.  It  takes  courage  of  a  very 
fine  order  to  start  in  and  sing  a  part  in  a  chorus 
and  run  the  risk  of  doing  it  wrong. 

One  of  the  best  ways  to  secure  efficiency  is  to 
develop  the  initiative  of  the  child  as  early  as  pos- 
sible. Teachers  seldom  do  this.  They  do  alto- 


EDUCATIONAL    VALUE  13 

gether  too  much  directing.  Indeed  they  are  so  apt 
to  direct  every  move  the  pupil  makes,  that  the  aver- 
age class  would  be  wholly  unable  to  leave  the  build- 
ing at  all  unless  some  teacher  stood  near  and  said, 
"Turn,  stand,  pass,"  at  them.  This  is  especially 
true  of  the  lower  grades.  It  has  its  logical  result 
in  the  upper  grades  and  high  school,  and  is  the 
principal  reason  for  all  the  criticisms  directed  to- 
ward the  inefficiency  of  pupils  after  they  leave 
school. 

It  is  not  so  much  the  course  of  study  that  is  at 
fault,  as  it  is  the  way  the  subjects  are  handled.  The 
pupil  is  so  seldom  allowed  to  use  and  develop  his 
own  initiative  that  he  has  none  to  show  when  he 
leaves  school. 

EFFICIENCY 

Efficiency  means  using  the  easiest,  shortest,  and 
most  effectual  way  of  doing  anything,  either  mental 
or  physical,  whether  it  be  calculating  the  transit  of 
Venus,  making  change  for  a  dollar,  building  a  battle- 
ship, or  washing  a  dish.  It  means  watching  every 
movement  to  see  that  it  counts,  and  that  the  most 
work  is  accomplished  with  the  least  expenditure  of 
time  and  energy.  This  applies  to  all  work,  both 
mental  and  physical,  done  in  the  schoolroom,  and  it 
should  be  the  study  of  every  teacher  to  turn  the  at- 
tention of  every  pupil  to  the  way  he  does  his  wqrk 
as  well  as  to  the  correctness  of  the  result  he  attains. 
The  pupil  should  be  developing  good  life  habits 


14  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

rather  than  merely  finding  correct  answers  to 
problems.  A  teacher  who  allows  a  pupil  to  work 
in  awkward,  ineffectual  ways,  no  matter  how  good 
the  result,  is  doing  him  a  lasting  injury.  Efficiency 
is  the  watchword  of  many  schools.  It  is  high  time 
that  it  became  universal.  The  children  have  been 
permitted  to  come  to  school  and  learn  to  dawdle 
instead  of  work.  The  first  thing  the  schools  should 
teach  children  is  how  to  work.  We  can  make  the 
child  do  anything  we  ask  him  to  do  but  that  is  not 
the  point.  We  must  make  him  want  to  work  by 
giving  him  a  motive  and  then  showing  him  the  best 
and  the  easiest  way.  But  as  the  motive  cannot  al- 
ways be  made  plain  at  first,  we  should  not  weakly 
wait  until  the  pupil  wants  to  do  a  thing  before  re- 
quiring him  to  do  it  We  should  see  that  the  chil- 
dren work  faithfully  at  whatever  they  are  doing, 
and  they  will  soon  see  that  it  is  worth  while.  The 
following  incident  well  illustrates  this  point:  Some 
years  ago  a  freshman  in  a  high  school  refused  to 
have  his  voice  tested.  He  was  so  stubborn  that  I 
took  him  to  the  principal,  who  was  one  of  the  most 
gentle  of  men.  The  principal  was  also  a  good  psy- 
chologist, and  his  amazing  exhibition  of  his  psychol- 
ogy fairly  took  my  breath  away.  Without  a  word 
as  to  why  we  were  there,  he  leaped  from  his  chair 
and  shouted  at  the  trembling  youth,  "What  are  you 
doing  in  my  office?  Go  straight  back  to  your  class 
and  do  whatever  any  teacher  tells  you  to  do,  and 
never  show  your  face  in  this  office  again."  We 
turned  and  went.  When  we  arrived  at  a  secluded 


EDUCATIONAL    VALUE  15 

place,  I  tested  his  voice  and  he  offered  no  objection. 
He  returned  to  his  class,  and  the  teacher  put  him 
on  the  front  seat  among  the  poor  singers.  Later 
he  gravitated  to  the  back  seat  where  the  good  sing- 
ers sit.  His  teacher  soon  reported  him  as  the  most 
interested  one  in  the  class.  All  he  needed  was  a 
jolt.  When  he  got  that,  he  found  that  music  was 
a  fascinating  subject  and  one  that  well  repaid  hard 
work. 

Efficiency  is  a  study  that  taxes  the  keenest  minds 
and,  conversely,  it  is  a  study  that  will  make  all  minds  ( 
keener.  There  is  the  story  of  the  efficiency  expert 
who  never  laid  a  brick  in  his  life,  but  who  after 
watching  an  old  bricklayer  work,  taught  the  old  hand 
how  to  lay  bricks  four  times  as  fast  with  half  the 
labor.  Children  need  the  same  kind  of  supervision 
and  training.  Some  years  ago  I  had  the  good  for- 
tune to  work  with  a  red-headed  teacher  who  knew 
how  to  teach  efficiency.  She  got  her  work  done  with 
less  fuss  and  feathers  and  less  wasted  time  than 
any  other  teacher  I  ever  saw.  On  the  blackboard 
was  the  program  for  the  day.  When  the  clock 
pointed  to  the  time  indicated  as  the  end  of  a  lesson, 
she  simply  tapped  once  with  her  pencil  to  turn  that 
lesson  off  and  the  next  one  on.  The  pupils  hated 
her  the  first  day  or  two,  but  at  the  end  of  a  week 
they  all  liked  her.  At  the  end  of  the  first  month 
they  adored  her  and  at  the  end  of  the  year  when 
they  had  to  leave  her,  they  were  heartbroken.  In 
addition  to  their  book  knowledge,  her  pupils  had 
learned  something  infinitely  better : — they  knew  how 


16  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

to  work,  and  they  also  knew  the  value  of  time.  Her 
pupils  usually  finished  the  work  of  their  grade  a 
couple  of  months  ahead  of  time.  This  teacher's 
method  was  very  simple.  She  studied  efficiency,  but 
it  was  before  the  day  this  word  became  a  slogan. 
Her  first  task  with  a  new  set  of  pupils  was  to  teach 
them  to  eliminate  all  false  motions  and  to  waste 
no  time.  I  owe  her  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude,  for 
she  taught  me  this  lesson. 

MUSIC  AN  EFFICIENCY  STUDY 

It  may  surprise  many  people,  especially  musi- 
cians, to  learn  that  music  is  the  best  efficiency  study 
on  the  whole  list.  Reading  music  is  an  excellent 
mental  training,  because  it  requires  the  reader  to 
do  several  things  at  the  same  time.  This  is  plainly 
brought  out  in  the  chapter  on  individual  work  and 
in  several  other  places  in  "Grade  School  Music 
Teaching."  The  great  reason  music  reading  is 
valuable  is  the  fact  that  the  pupil  must  think  in 
time.  He  must  train  his  mind  to  think  rhythmically 
and  rapidly.  In  every  other  study  the  pupil  may  go 
as  rapidly  or  as  slowly  as  he  pleases,  but  in  music 
the  pace  is  set  and  his  mind  must  keep  up. 

MUSIC  THE  GAUGE  OF  A  TEACHER 

Not  only  is  music  a  fine  efficiency  study,  for  the 
children,  but  it  is  one  of  the  best  tests  of  a  teacher's 
ability  to  handle  a  school.  If  the  teacher  is  weak 
in  discipline,  or  slow  mentally,  the  music  lesson  is 


EDUCATIONAL    VALUE  17 

the  first  to  show  it.  Every  weakness  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  school  will  stick  out  like  a  sore 
thumb  when  the  music  supervisor  arrives.  Efficiency 
must,  of  course,  begin  with  the  teacher.  x  A  stream 
rises  no  higher  than  its  source  and  if  the  teacher 
is  inefficient,  it  is  hopeless  to  expect  anything  else 
from  the  pupils?)  I  know  a  high  school  teacher  who 
is  so  efficient  that  she  teaches  her  six  classes  daily 
and  never  has  a  paper  left  over  to  correct  after 
school.  She  does  this  while  she  is  hearing  recita- 
tions. I  have  seen  her  listen  to  a  French  class  with 
one  ear,  a  German  class  with  the  other,  and  correct 
papers  at  the  same  time  and  never  make  a  mistake. 
It  seems  impossible,  but  she  says  it  is  simple,  and  it 
looks  simple  when  you  see  her  do  it.  She  says  it  is 
only  using  your  brain  as  it  was  intended  to  be  used. 
One  of  her  secrets  is  that  the  pupil  and  not  the 
teacher  does  the  reciting. 

There  are  efficiency  hints  all  through  this  book 
and  the  music  teacher  who  wishes  to  make  his  teach- 
ing efficient  should  make  a  careful  study  of  the  way 
these  suggestions  are  carried  out. 


CHAPTER  2 

HIGH  SCHOOL  CHORUS 
ORGANIZATION 

WHERE  the  music  in  the  grades  has  inspired  in 
the  public  a  liking  for  music  and  the  ability  to  read, 
it  is  not  difficult  to  carry  on  the  work  in  the  high 
school.  If  the  music  in  the  grades  is  nothing  more 
than  the  recreational  singing  of  rote  songs  and  lis- 
tening to  the  talking  machine,  a  far  different  problem 
will  be  confronted  in  the  high  school.  There  are 
still  many  high  schools  where  music  has  never  been 
introduced,  and  many  that  take  pupils  from  places 
where  music  is  not  taught  in  the  grades,  or  where 
many  of  the  pupils  come  from  the  country  and  have 
never  studied  music.  Such  conditions  will  prevail 
until  music  is  required  in  both  urban  and  rural 
schools  and  the  work  is  standardized  by  competent 
supervisors. 

In  the  following  pages  is  set  forth  an  ideal 
plan  for  high  school  music.  Variations  to  meet 
different  conditions  are  also  suggested.  In  outlin- 
ing a  course  of  music  for  any  high  school,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  work  has  many  phases. 
There  should  be  music  for  every  one,  and  there 
should  be  special  classes  for  the  musically  inclined 
and  the  musically  gifted. 


CHORUS  19 

IMPORTANCE  OF  CHORUS 

First  in  importance  is  the  high  school  chorus. 
This  is  the  big  thing  and  the  one  to  which  the  most 
thought  and  care  should  be  given.  The  chorus 
work  should  be  a  sane  and  attractive  combination 
of  hard  work  and  recreational  singing.  Pupils 
should  find  recreation  in  a  change  of  work,  and 
there  is  no  subject  in  the  whole  curriculum  that  gives 
so  good  an  opportunity  to  work  out  this  combination 
as  the  high  school  chorus.  Pupils  at  this  age  are 
very  quick  to  decide,  according  to  their  own  stand- 
ards, whether  they  like  a  thing  or  not,  and  it  rests 
with  the  teacher  to  make  the  chorus  work  good 
enough  to  convince  them  that  it  is  worth  while. 
This  does  not  mean  that  the  pupils  are  to  be  toadied 
to  in  any  way,  but  their  points  of  view  must  always 
be  considered. 

Nothing  in  the  whole  school  day  interests  vis- 
itors of  all  kinds  like  good  chorus  singing.  A  fine 
high  school  chorus  will  advertise  the  school  among 
parents  and  patrons  better  than  any  other  feature. 
Students  like  it  and  it  helps  to  build  up  a  better 
school. 

The  value  of  music  education  is  so  generally 
recognized  that  pupils  in  the  grades  take  music  as 
a  matter  of  course,  the  same  as  they  study  arith- 
metic. Music  is  rapidly  becoming  an  accredited 
subject  in  high  schools  and  its  value  is  no  longer 
questioned. 


20  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

LARGE   CHORUS   NECESSARY 

Pupils  in  the  grades  use  music  that  is  simple 
and  easy  to  sing,  and  a  few  voices  make  it  effective. 
In  the  high  school,  however,  the  pupils  are  grown 
up  and  the  music  that  is  suitable  for  children  no 
longer  interests  them.  They  will  respond  to  the 
big  things  in  choral  music,  if  there  is  an  instrument 
capable  of  bringing  out  the  great  choral  effects. 
This  instrument  is  the  chorus.  A  big  chorus  with 
body  of  tone  and  enthusiasm  of  numbers  is  neces- 
sary. Every  pupil  in  the  school  can  help  in  the 
chorus  and  can  get  some  good  from  it,  no  matter 
whether  his  voice  is  good  or  poor.  Such  participa- 
tion by  all  means  that  every  individual  will  be  con- 
tributing to  the  good  of  every  one  else  by  helping 
to  make  the  chorus  a  success.  It  is  the  one  coopera- 
tive thing  in  which  every  pupil  in  the  school  can  take 
part.  It  means  that  every  pupil  in  the  school  can 
do  team  work  of  the  most  painstaking  and  valuable 
variety. 

I 

ORGANIZATION 

There  are  two  ways  of  organizing  the  high 
school  chorus — the  required  and  the  optional.  The 
first  is  the  big,  hard  way,  but  the  one  that  brings 
results  of  an  enduring  variety.  The  other  is  the 
small,  easy  way  that  amounts  to  little.  The  manner 
in  which  the  high  school  chorus  is  organized  is  a 
good  measure  of  the  backbone  of  the  high  school 
principal  and  the  supervisor.  Where  there  is  a 


CHORUS  21 

weakness  in  either,  the  optional  plan  is  usually  fol- 
lowed. 

There  is  a  wide-spread  notion  that  when  a  pupil 
gets  into  the  high  school  he  should  choose  the  sub- 
jects he  is  to  study.  It  is  proper  that  he  should 
choose  some  of  his  studies,  but  since  he  is  too  im- 
mature to  choose  them  all,  he  needs  to  be  advised. 
He  should  learn  some  things  whether  he  likes  them 
or  not. 

SELFISHNESS 

The  element  of  selfishness  is  apt  to  be  para- 
mount in  education.  Whether  intentionally  or  not, 
we  are  continually  appealing  to  the  pupil  to  do  his 
school  work  that  he  may  get  ahead,  be  a  smarter 
man,  occupy  a  better  position  in  life,  and  earn  more 
money  than  the  other  fellow. '  It  is  seldom,  if  ever, 
brought  home  to  him  that  he  should  also  work  to 
be  a  better  man  so  that  he  may  be  of  more  use  to 
others.  The  altruistic  principle  can  be  taught  in  the 
high  school  chorus  in  a  concrete  way.  If  he  is  a 
good  singer,  he  should  go  into  the  chorus  to  help  the 
weaker  ones.  If  he  is  a  poor  singer,  he  can  go  into 
the  chorus  and  do  as  much  as  he  can,  so  that  there 
will  be  enthusiasm  of  large  numbers.  This  un- 
selfish cooperation  should  be  taught  to  every  high 
school  student  in  order  to  counteract  the  selfish 
tendencies  of  utilitarian  training. 

The  value  of  choral  music  is  not  at  first  apparent 
to  high  school  students.  The  best  way  to  make  this 


22  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

value  apparent  is  to  have  all  the  pupils  take  it.  The 
very  fact  that  choral  music  has  sufficient  value  to 
make  it  required  for  all,  stamps  it  at  once  as  some- 
thing worth  while.  When  the  pupils  have  worked 
in  the  chorus  for  a  time,  its  value  will  speak  for 
itself.  Where  music  is  optional,  the  boys  are  apt 
to  neglect  it  and  take  something  that  appears  to 
them  more  immediately  practical.  This  results  in 
a  poorly  balanced  chorus  and  satisfactory  results  are 
impossible.  The  mechanically-minded  pupils  are 
apt  to  choose  other  subjects  before  they  think  of 
taking  music.  These  are  the  very  ones  who  should 
have  some  music  to  soften  and  enrich  their  lives. 

The  girls  who  have  high  soprano  voices  will 
always  take  chorus  work,  since  most  girls  have  a 
deeply  rooted  notion  that  a  soprano  voice  is  a  mark 
of  distinction.  If  they  have  medium  or  low  voices, 
they  will  not  as  a  rule,  take  chorus  work.  The  lazy- 
minded  pupil  will  also  shun  the  chorus  if  he  is  al- 
lowed to,  for  good  chorus  singing  is  by  no  means  an 
easy  occupation. 

Music  study  is  often  compelled  to  rest  entirely 
on  the  interest  it  excites.  When  pupils  have  never 
tried  chorus  singing,  how  can  they  be  interested? 
We  fondly  imagine  and  sometimes  say  that  other 
subjects  in  the  high  school  are  carried  along  by  the 
interest  they  excite,  but  are  they?  Careful  scrutiny 
will  reveal  credits  and  similar  incentives  to  be  the 
real  causes  at  work. 


CHORUS  23 

REQUIRED  CHORUS  BEST 

/  The  only  effectual  way  to  carry  on  high  school  /' 
/  chorus  and  have  it  repay  the  time  and  money  spent''' 
Vupon  it  is  to  make  it  required  for  all.  Those  with 
chronic  throat  trouble  should  be  excused,  though 
many  of  these  would  be  benefitted  by  a  little  quiet 
singing.  Pupils  who  are  hurrying  through  school 
for  economic  reasons  are  often  excused,  but  such 
pupils  need  music  for  its  recreational  as  well  as 
for  its  cultural  value.  It  brightens  the  mind  and 
gives  a  broader  point  of  view,  besides  relieving  the 
mind  of  the  deadening  effect  of  plodding  effort. 

ALL  CAN  SING 

There  is  a  widespread  conviction  that  only  the 
gifted  few  can  learn  to  sing.  This  has  been  proved 
untrue  by  experience.  More  people  can  learn  to 
sjng  and  read  vocal  music  successfully  than  can  learn 
arithmetic.  Since  virtually,  every  pupil  in  the  high 
school  has  sung  in  the  grades,  why  should  we  de- 
prive the  high  school  student,  or  allow  him  to  de- 
prive himself,  of  the  good  that  will  come  to  him  by 
taking  part  in  the  crowning  glory  of  the  music 
course?  For  years  he  has  been  preparing  to  sing 
the  big  choral  masterpieces;  now  we  should  see  that 
he  does  it. 

In  high  schools  where  music  is  just  being  in- 
troduced, there  is  often  a  great  deal  of  trouble,  be- 
cause of  the  unfavorable  attitude  of  the  pupils  to- 
ward it.  In  high  schools  where  music  is  optional, 


24  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

the  pupils  who  do  not  take  it  are  continually  saying 
to  the  chorus  pupils,  "We  do  not  take  chorus  work; 
why  do  you  take  it?  It  is  of  no  value."  Many  high 
school  teachers  are  also  saying,  either  consciously 
or  unconsciously,  to  the  pupils,  "Leave  music  alone; 
it  isn't  worth  anything  to  you.  Put  your  time  on 
something  that  will  do  you  some  good — my  subject, 
for  instance."  The  parents  are  apt  to  say  the  same 
thing  at  home. 

This  unfavorable  attitude  on  the  part  of  the 
community,  the  pupils,  and  the  teachers  is  the  first 
and  hardest  thing  the  supervisor  of  music  has  to 
overcome.  The  required  method  is  the  best  and 
quickest  way  to  do  it.  The  very  fact  that  the  school 
authorities  consider  the  chorus  of  enough  consequence 
to  be  made  obligatory  upon  all  pupils,  at  once  creates 
an  atmosphere  of  respect  for  the  subject.  The 
success  of  the  music  itself,  when  the  classes  are 
large  and  well  balanced,  as  they  always  are  under 
this  method,  soon  wins  the  pupils,  and  in  a  short 
time  opposition  to  chorus  singing  disappears  and 
choral  music  takes  its  rightful  place  in  the  school 
work. 

APPRECIATION 

It  is  in  the  chorus  class  that  every  one  has  a 
chance  to  learn  to  listen  to  and  appreciate  great 
music.  We  spend  much  money  in  teaching  pupils 
to  work;  we  can  certainly  afford  to  spend  time, 
money,  and  effort  in  giving  them  the  capacity  for 
enjoyment  later  in  life  that  music  gives. 


CHORUS  25 

Since  it  is  admitted  that  chorus  work  provides 
musical,  mental,  moral,  emotional,  physical,  and  vo- 
cational training  of  great  educational  value,  it  is 
our  duty  to  see  that  every  one  in  the  high  school, 
as  far  as  possible,  gets  this  training. 

To  illustrate  further  the  comparative  values  of 
the  optional  and  required  ways  of  carrying  on  the 
high  school  chorus  work,  let  me  relate  two  experi- 
ences. 

A  short  time  ago  I  had  the  privilege  of  being 
present  at  the  last  rehearsal  of  Verdi's  "Requiem" 
given  by  one  of  the  suburban  high  schools  near  Bos- 
ton. There  were  six  hundred  pupils  in  the  chorus. 
I  was  given  to  understand  that,  though  the  whole 
school  had  learned  the  piece,  these  six  hundred  had 
been  chosen  to  give  the  work,  as  that  number  was 
all  the  stage  would  hold. 

It  was  the  custom  for  this  high  school  to  learn 
one  of  the  big  choral  works  each  year  and  give  it 
in  Boston  with  soloists  and  orchestra.  The  leader, 
a  big,  husky  fellow  whose  years  were  many  and 
whose  energy  was  enormous,  was  a  regular  steam 
engine  in  human  form.  It  was  an  inspiration  to 
be  present  on  such  an  occasion. 

In  this  school,  music  took  its  rightful  place  as 
a  means  of  education  for  every  one.  No  need  to 
drive  any  of  the  students  into  that  chorus.  They 
had  to  be  driven  out  instead.  Why?  They  knew 
they  were  doing  something  worth  while.  The  mu- 
sic they  studied  had  an  instrument  that  could  inter- 
pret it — a  big  chorus.  Hearing  and  taking  part  in 


26  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

this  grand  instrument  made  the  music  take  hold  of 
all  the  students  in  the  school,  and  they  responded  to 
it  wonderfully. 

Two  days  later  I  sat  upon  the  platform  of  a  high 
school  auditorium  in  another  city.  The  school  had 
an  enrollment  of  eighteen  hundred.  The  principal, 
with  a  tolerant  smile,  assured  me  that  the  music 
teacher  might  be  there  if  he  had  no  other  engage- 
ment, it  being  his  day.  He  came  just  a  minute  ahead 
of  his  class.  The  class  entered.  They  were  all 
seniors  and  were  preparing  a  number  for  the  com- 
mencement program.  There  were  sixty  sopranos, 
ten  altos,  no  tenors,  and  two  basses.  They  left  out 
the  tenor  of  the  four-part  arrangement  of  the  short 
and  simple  song  they  were  studying. 

The  music  was  distributed  and  they  went  at  it. 
The  teacher  informed  me  that  they  had  worked  on 
this  piece  during  two  previous  lessons.  He  also 
was  a  big,  husky  fellow,  but  he  was  not  old  and 
the  fire  of  enthusiasm  was  not  apparent  in  his  eye. 
The  pupils  sang  this  song  over  and  over  endlessly, 
though  willingly  enough.  They  were  very  amiable 
about  it,  but  how  they  endured  the  ceaseless  repeti- 
tion, getting  nowhere,  I  could  not  fathom,  until  I 
remembered  the  grade  music  work  I  had  seen  on  a 
previous  visit  to  this  same  city.  They  were  used 
to  it.  They  had  been  brought  up  on  rote  and  repe- 
tition, and  knew  nothing  better. 

They  sang  this  simple  piece  for  forty-five  min- 
utes. I  nearly  went  mad;  I  could  hardly  remain. 
The  teacher  didn't  seem  to  mind  it,  however;  neither 


CHORUS  27 

did  the  pupils.  Every  one  sang  all  the  time.  They 
didn't  need  to  look  at  the  music.  The  two  basses 
matched  pennies,  and  one  girl  on  the  front  seat  em- 
broidered, unrebuked.  At  least  two  of  them  got 
something  out  of  the  lesson.  I  was  sure  of  the  girl; 
but  I  was  in  doubt  as  to  which  of  the  basses  came 
out  ahead. 

Some  high  school  pupils  will  read  music  well, 
but  many  will  not  be  able  to  read  music  at  all.  If 
they  cannot  read,  it  is  pretty  late  to  teach  them. 
The  first  thing  to  be  done,  however,  is  to  make  them 
want  to  learn  to  sing,  if  they  do  not  already  know 
how. 

A  large  chorus  has  the  most  enthusiasm,  and  is, 
of  course,  much  more  inspiring  than  a  small  one.  In 
the  small  class  the  pupils  have  a  better  opportunity 
to  read  music  but  the  enthusiasm  will  not  run  so 
high.  The  combination  of  these  two  plans  is  most 
desirable. 

PERSONNEL  OF  CHORUS 

It  is  better  to  have  all  the  students  of  the  high 
school  together  in  one  chorus  than  to  have  them 
separated  according  to  years.  The  music  will  be 
better  and  also  the  school  program  easier  to  make 
out.  Instead  of  a  course  of  music  study  for  four 
separate  years,  it  is  better  to  outline  a  flexible  course 
of  study  in  a  four-year  cycle.  There  are  a  number 
of  good  reasons  for  this.  The  pupils  will  respond 
best  to  music  that  is  difficult  and  of  high  quality. 


28  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

The  older  voices  must  be  in  the  chorus  to  make  this 
more  difficult  music  sound  well.  For  instance,  the 
Hallelujah  from  the  Messiah  will  sound  pretty  thin 
with  freshmen,  but  if  there  are  a  number  of  seniors 
in  the  class  to  give  body  to  the  tone,  the  selection 
will  sound  well  and  all  will  get  more  out  of  it.  The 
freshmen  will  work  with  a  will  if  they  are  in  a  class 
with  older  pupils,  and  the  older  pupils  will  sing 
better  if  it  is  explained  to  them  that  they  are  making 
possible  not  only  their  own  education  in  music  but 
also  that  of  others.  This  will  teach  unselfishness, 
cooperation,  and  loyalty  to  the  mass. 

There  is  so  much  difference  in  the  size  and  or- 
ganization of  different  high  schools  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  outline  a  plan  of  chorus  organization  to  suit 
all  schools. 

LARGE  CLASSES  BEST 

The  size  of  a  high  school  chorus  should  not  be 
limited  except  by  the  force  and  ability  of  the  direc- 
tor, the  disciplinary  strength  of  the  principal,  and 
the  size  of  the  auditorium.  A  class  much  under  a 
hundred  is  too  small  to  be  inspiring.  From  one  hun- 
dred to  five  hundred  is  a  good  number.  More  than 
the  latter  is  apt  to  be  cumbersome. 

The  plan  in  use  in  the  Minneapolis  high  schools 
works  very  well.  These  vary  in  size  from  fifteen 
hundred  to  three  thousand. 

The  program  is  so  arranged  that  the  pupils  go 
to  the  chorus  room  when  they  have  no  other  recita- 
tions. The  choruses  vary  from  one  hundred  to  five 


CHORUS  29 

hundred,  and  are  made  up  of  freshmen,  sophomores, 
juniors  and  seniors.  In  every  case,  the  largest  class 
is  the  best.  Where  the  classes  do  not  balance  well, 
changes  in  the  program  are  made  to  fill  out  the 
parts. 

Since  the  pupils  go  into  the  music  classes  during 
their  study  periods,  the  other  teachers  are  employed 
in  the  regular  program.  Their  time  therefore  is 
not  wasted.  * 

ASSEMBLY  SINGING 

\ 

Occasionally  the  whole  school  assembles  for  a 
period  in  the  auditorium  and  every  one  sings.  Now 
the  full  value  of  the  chorus  work  is  apparent.  For 
instance,  when  all  the  classes  have  been  studying  the 
"Elijah"  it  is  a  wonderful  inspiration  to  hear  these 
grand  choruses  sung  by  two  thousand  fresh,  young 
voices,  with  a  good  orchestra.  We  look  forward 
to  the  time  when  there  will  be  a  fine  pipe  organ  in 
each  high  school  to  furnish  a  background  for  this 
mass  of  tone.  So  much  for  the  Minneapolis  high 
schools. 

In  high  schools  under  five  hundred,  the  above 
plan  is  not  so  good,  because  the  classes  are  too  small 
to  make  chorus  singing  worth  while.  In  schools 
numbering  less  than  five  hundred,  it  is  best  to  have 
all  the  pupils  meet  together  and  have  but  one  class. 
As  this  will  necessitate  some  special  time  being  set 
aside  for  the  music,  the  other  teachers  will  naturally 
have  nothing  to  do  during  the  singing  period.  But 


30  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

the  chorus  is  worth  the  time  spent  on  it,  even  if 
the  other  teachers  are  obliged  to  have  an  idle  period. 
This  latter  plan  was  in  operation  at  Oak  Park,  Il- 
linois, until  the  school  got  too  large.  The  ch«rus 
period  there  was  of  twenty  minutes'  duration  daily. 
There  was  an  assembly  period  of  half  an  hour,  ten 
minutes  being  devoted  to  the  various  things  usu- 
ally done  at  assembly.  The  rest  of  the  time  was 
devoted  to  music,  and  the  plan  worked  very  well. 

Where  the  whole  school  meets  as  a  chorus,  there 
is  of  course  the  objection  as  indicated  above,  that 
the  rest  of  the  teachers  have  nothing  to  do.  Since 
these  teachers  usually  have  pupils  that  they  wish  to 
work  with  personally,  it  might  be  arranged  that 
each  teacher  could  take  one  or  two  pupils  from  the 
chorus  for  special  work.  This  would  not  bother  the 
chorus  leader  particularly  and  would  help  make  the 
program  for  the  whole  school  easier  to  plan.  The 
other  teachers  should  not  take  more  than  one  or  two 
at  a  time ;  consequently  the  supervisor  should  not  be 
touchy  about  this.  With  the  proper  spirit  on  both 
sides,  this  plan  will  work  very  well,  and  by  making 
this  suggestion  himself,  the  clever  supervisor  will 
be  able  to  get  more  time  for  his  chorus  work,  and 
by  thinking  of  the  other  departments,  he  will  es- 
tablish his  work  more  firmly.  The  music  supervisor, 
of  all  people,  should  remember  that  his  is  not  the 
only  department  in  the  high  school  and  should,  there- 
fore, meet  the  other  teachers  more  than  half  way 
in  any  scheme  that  has  to  do  with  furthering  the 
efficiency  of  the  entire  school. 


CHORUS  31 

INTRODUCING  CHORUS  WORK 

In  places  where  music  is  taught  in  the  grades  it 
is  not  difficult  to  introduce  it  for  the  first  time  in  the 
high  school.  There  are  several  ways  of  doing  it. 
Music  was  introduced  into  the  high  schools  of  Min- 
neapolis in  1912.  Music  had  been  taught  in  the 
grades  for  many  years.  All  the  freshmen  entering 
the  high  schools  in  1912  were  required  to  take  the 
chorus  work  twice  weekly.  All  the  pupils  in  the 
other  classes  were  invited  to  take  it  if  they  wished. 
The  next  year  the  sophomores  were  required  to  take 
it,  and  so  on  until  in  four  years  all  were  taking  it 
and  it  had  become  an  established  institution.  The 
introduction  was  not  achieved  without  a  good  deal 
of  coercion,  for  many  of  the  pupils  wanted  to  do  as 
they  pleased  about  the  music,  but  now  the  pupils 
themselves  see  the  value  of  the  music  work. 

Introducing  music  into  high  schools  where  it  has 
never  been  taught  in  the  grades  presents  many  ob- 
stacles. If  the  students  do  not  read  music  before 
they  get  to  the  high  school,  they  probably  will  never 
learn,  as  very  few  of  them  will  submit  to  the  dis- 
cipline and  to  the  reading  of  the  simple  material 
their  ignorance  requires.  Some  very  gifted  super- 
visors are  able  to  inspire  and  fill  with  enthusiasm 
pupils  wholly  ignorant  of  music  and  sometimes  get 
very  creditable  work  from  them,  but  such  strong 
supervisors  are  unfortunately  the  exception  rather 
than  the  rule. 


32  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

LENGTH  OF  CHORUS  PERIOD 

The  length  of  the  periods  for  chorus  work 
varies  in  different  schools.  The  time  usually  spent 
on  music  in  any  school  is  likely  to  be  inadequate. 
The  same  cry  goes  up  from  the  teachers  in  all  grades 
about  all  subjects.  The  trouble  with  almost  all  of 
the  schools  is  that  the  pupils  have  not  been  taught 
to  use  to  advantage  the  time  allotted  to  them,  and 
neither  have  the  teachers,  for  that  matter.  Effi- 
ciency in  the  school  room  is  a  subject  that  every 
teacher  should  master  so  far  as  possible.  Once 
mastered,  there  would  not  be  the  clamor  for  more 
time,  for  the  pupils  would  be  rapid  enough  in  their 
work  to  accomplish  everything  needed. 

There  is  nothing  that  will  enliven  a  school  so 
much  as  a  good  sing,  and  if  it  were  possible  to  do  it, 
the  very  best  thing  that  could  happen  to  a  high 
school  would  be  to  have  the  whole  school  meet  half 
an  hour  daily  and  sing  together.  This  is  Utopian, 
but  it  will  come  when  the  grade  work  is  perfected. 

CHORUS  LEADER 

Probably  the  most  difficult  position  in  the  whole 
school  system  to  fill  successfully  is  that  of  high 
school  chorus  leader.  The  classes  are  large;  they 
meet  the  teacher  but  once  or  twice  weekly;  and  the 
pupils  are  just  at  the  age  when  they  are  hardest  to 
handle.  These  and  many  other  reasons  make  the 
path  of  the  chorus  leader  anything  but  a  flowery 
one. 


CHORUS  33 

The  teacher  must  be  a  disciplinarian,  one  who  is 
able  to  rule  tactfully  without  too  much  show  of 
driving.  He  must  be  a  teacher  of  the  most  ingenious 
variety  and  also  have  great  force  and  endurance, 
both  mental  and  physical.  He  must  have  perfect 
self-control,  for  nowhere  is  it  needed  so  much  as  in 
the  high  school  chorus  class.  He  must  have  the 
right  attitude  toward  his  subject  and  see  it  from  the 
big  human  educational  side,  as  well  as  from  the  mu- 
sical side.  He  must  have  infinite  patience,  firmness, 
and  an  intense  love  for  young  people. 

It  is  no  easy  work  to  be  a  successful  chorus 
leader.  It  is  a  man's  job,  though  many  women  are 
doing  it  splendidly.  When  I  say  jthat  it  is  a  man's 
job,  I  mean  that  boys  are  more  likely  to  sing  ifV 
there  is  a  man  at  the  helm.  Then  again  in  the  large  r 
high  schools,  where  there  are  many  classes  daily, 
the  mere  physical  strain  of  several  chorus  classes  in 
succession  is  too  much  for  the  average  woman  not 
possessed  of  great  physical,  as  well  as  mental,  en- 
durance. Pages  might  be  filled  with  the  attributes 
desirable  in  a  chorus  leader  but  we  must  not  go  as 
far  as  to  discourage  the  aspirants  to  success  in  this 
field. 

^A  pupil  goes  to  schoolto  learn  to  use  his_brain_^ 
onjthe^roblems  of1  life._ The  average  teacEer  sel- 
dom thinks  oTThisV  much  less  does  she  impress  it 
upon  her  pupils.  To  both  teacher  and  pupil  the 
lesson  of  the  dayjs  too  often  the  end  instead  of  the 
means  of  mental  training.  The  importance  of  the 
lesson  itself  should  be  kept  before  the  student,  but 


i 

34  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

since  the  way  he  gets  it  is  still  more  important,  that 
should  be  impressed  upon  him  constantly.  If  pu- 
pils had  a  clear  idea  of  what  they  come  to  school 
for,  they  would  become  more  interested  in  watching 
their  own  mental  development  and  consequently 
would  have  a  desire  to  remain  in  school  longer. 

The  music  teacher  is  vitally  interested  in  making 
the  pupils  quick-minded,  for  without  this  mental 
alertness  on  the~part  of  the  pupil,  the  chorus  leader 
is  helpless.  Music  is  especially  adapted  to  culti- 
vating mental  alertness.  For  this  purpose,  no  sub- 
ject in  the  school  curriculum  is  superior.  It  is  the 
business  of  the  music  teacher  to  make  this  clear  to 
the  pupils.  The  leader  will  have  to  show  mental 
speed  and  clearness  himself,  or  his  preachings  will 
be  of  no  avail.  This  is  why  no  slow-thinking  or 
slow-speaking  person  should  go  into  music  super- 
vision. Every  teacher  should  be  able  to  keep  a  few 
jumps  ahead  of  his  pupils. 

Many  teachers  believe  that,  in  training  the  mind, 
accuracy  instead  of  speed  should  be  the  first  con- 
sideration. This  is  wrong.  The  pupil  should  be 
trained  to  speed  first.  Accuracy  first  is  peculiarly 
fatal  to  good  work  in  music.  In  music,  time  is  of 
fijcst-iinportance,  and  a  teacher  who  allows  a  child 
to  hesitate  over  a  note  is  not  only  spoiling  the  music 
but  is  allowing  the  pupil  to  grow  up  with  a  halting, 
timid  habit  of  mind.  In  the  usual  school  system  a 
pupil  would  almost  as  soon  be  hanged  as  make  a 
mistake.  Applied  to  music,  this  is  all  wrong.  With- 
out doubt,  the  principle  holds  good  in  other  branches, 


CHORUS  35 

also.  The  pupil  should  grow  up  with  the  same  fear- 
lessness toward  mistakes  in  music  that  he  has  about 
throwing  a  ball  and  missing  the  mark.  He  should 
feel  that  it  is  his  privilege  to  make  all  the  mistakes 
necessary  to  get  the  song  right  at  last.  He  must 
learn  to  start  at  the  beginning  of  a  song  and  sing 
to  the  end  without  faltering  in  his  time,  no  matter 
if  he  gets  many  of  the  tones  wrong.  With  this 
mental  habit  as  a  foundation  the  rest  is  easy,  be- 
cause the  fearless  mind  will  become  far  more  swift 
and  accurate  than  the  timid  one.  Personally  I  like 
the  "sassy"  child;  his  "sass"  shows  he  has  fearless- 
ness and  assurance.  The  wise  teacher  can  turn  these 
qualities  into  proper  channels  and  make  them  count 
for  his  proper  development. 

THE  OVER-SENSITIVE  MUSICIAN 

It  is  often  noticed  that  the  music  teacher  who 
sings  or  plays  well,  and  who  has  a  sensitive  ear,  is 
often  a  failure  as  a  public  school  music  teacher  or 
as  a  supervisor.  The  reason  is  to  be  found  in  the 
preceding  paragraph.  The  over-sensitive  musician 
is  not  able  to  endure  discords;  consequently,  when 
he  hears  one  he  squirms  and  suffers  audibly  until  the 
pupils  acquire  the  teacher's  false  sensitiveness  and 
are  afraid  to  sing  anything  for  fear  of  making  mis- 
takes. The  spirit  of  the  army,  which  makes  the  sol- 
diers advance  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  should  pre- 
vail in  the  schoolroom  and  especially  in  the  music 
lesson.  Of  course  one  must  have  a  good  ear  and 


36  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

be  a  good  musician  before  he  can  be  a  good  music 
teacher,  but  a  music  teacher  should  not  allow  his 
musical  temperament  to  run  away  with  him. 

SET  UP  A  HIGH  IDEAL 

The  chorus  leader  should  expect  a  great  deal 
from  his  pupils.  He  should  impress  upon  them  at 
the  outset  that  the  chorus  class  means  business  and 
that  from  it  they  will  receive  a  training  that  is  well 
worth  while.  Since  the  musical  side  of  the  work 
may  not  appeal  to  all  of  them  at  first,  they  should 
be  taught  to  work  for  mental  and  physical  develop- 
ment. Music  appreciation  will  come  later. 

If  there  is  anything  that  a  high  school  pupil  will 
take  advantage  of  and  at  the  same  time  despise,  it 
is  an  easy  subject  or  a  teacjier  who  lets  thirn'cfo  as 
the]f  pleases  and  wastes  <tfi«ifi  time.  They  admire, 
though  they  may  complain  bitterly  of,  the  teacher 
who  makes  them  toe  the  mark  and  get  something 
done.  If  properly  led  and  inspired,  pupils  like  to 
do,  and  will  do,  the  big,  hard  things.  It  is,  there- 
fore, the  problem  and  the  joy  of  the  chorus  leader 
to  arouse  the  pupils  to  such  efforts.  ^ 

The  chorus  work  will  not  go  well  if  this  feeling 
on  the  part  of  the  pupils  is  impersonal.  The  right 
attitude  toward  the  work  must  be  shown  by  the  pu- 
pils individually.  Since  sermons  of  all  kinds  are 
usually  passed  on  to  the  other  fellow,  it  is  a  poor 
plan  to  correct  the  class  as  a  whole.  Whenever 
a  correction  is  made,  it  should  be  made  kindly  and 


CHORUS  37 

personally.  If  something  is  wrong,  ask  some  one 
person  if  he  is  responsible.  This  will  bring  the  mat- 
ter home  to  the  individual  and  make  him  think  as  an 
individual. 

SEATING  CHORUS  AND  ACOUSTICS 

It  is  most  important  that  the  different  parts  of 
the  chorus  be  able  to  hear  each  other  and  thus  be 
able  to  keep  in  time  and  tune  with  each  other.  This 
desirable  state  is  often  hard  to  achieve,  owing  to 
the  size,  shape,  acoustics  and  seating  arrangement  of 
the  room.  The  size  of  the  class  and  the  balance  of 
the  parts  must  also  be  taken  into  consideration.  If 
the  pupils  are  not  able  to  hear  all  the  different  parts, 
they  cannot  keep  together,  and  the  music  work  will 
be  uninteresting,  as  they  will  not  be  able  to  hear  and 
appreciate  their  own  music.  To  solve  this  difficulty, 
the  chorus  leader  must  use  his  ingenuity  and  ex- 
periment a  little  until  he  works  out  a  seating  arrange- 
ment that  is  satisfactory. 

The  pupils  with  true  musical  ears  should  sit  in 
the  rear  seats  and  grade  down  to  the  monotones  in 
the  front.  This  should  always  be  kept  in  mind  when 
seating  any  chorus. 

The  logical  way  to  seat  a  chorus  is  to  have  the 
sopranos  at  the  left  of  the  leader,  then,  in  order, 
the  altos,  tenors,  and  basses.  This  plan  is  often 
not  feasible,  especially  in  a  large  class,  as  the  parts 
cannot  hear  each  other.  When  this  is  true,  it  is 
better  to  put  the  basses  and  sopranos  in  the  middle, 


38  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

the  altos  to  the  left  of  the  sopranos,  and  the  tenors 
to  the  right  of  the  basses  like  this: 

Altos        Sopranos        Basses       Tenors 
With  this  arrangement  all  the  pupils  are  sure  to 
hear  at  least  three  parts  distinctly,  two  of  these  be- 
ing the  important  ones,  bass  and  soprano. 

In  classes  where  the  bass  and  tenor  parts  are 
small,  the  pupils  may  sit  like  this: 

Sopranos  Altos 

Tenors       Basses 

There  are  other  arrangements  that  may  be  used 
for  different  purposes.  Since  the  effect  of  the  music 
on  the  pupils  themselves  must  not  be  overlooked, 
a  fine  way  to  accomplish  such  an  end  is  to  divide 
the  class  into  two  choruses  so  that  pupils  may  oc- 
casionally hear  the  music  they  are  studying  sung  by 
another  chorus. 

At  one  time  the  only  assembly  hall  available  at 
the  Oak  Park  High  School  was  a  long,  narrow  room 
that  would  seat  about  nine  hundred  people.  In- 
stead of  being  placed  at  one  end  or  in  the  middle  of 
one  side,  the  stage  was  placed  in  the  middle  of 
the  room  and  the  seats  arranged  so  that  the  pupils 
in  one-half  the  room  faced  the  pupils  in  the  other 
half  across  the  stage.  The  whole  school,  conse- 
quently, met  as  one  class  divided  into  two  complete 
choruses,  one  in  each  end  of  the  room.  The  rear 
rows  of  seats  in  each  end  of  the  room  were  raised 
so  that  the  pupils  could  see  each  other  and  also  the 
leader.  This  temporary  assembly  hall  proved  to 
be  an  ideal  arrangement  for  chorus  practice.  These 


CHORUS  39 

two  choruses  either  sang  antiphonally  or  together  as 
the  leader  indicated. 

This  effect  can  be  approximated  in  the  usual 
class  room  or  auditorium  by  arranging  the  class  in 
two  choruses  sitting  side  by  side  like  this : 
A.  S.  B.  T.  A.  S.  B.  T. 

A.  S..  B.  T.  A.  S.  B.  T.,  etc. 

The  same  effect  can  be  produced  by  having  the 
chorus  divided  in  half,  from  front  to  back;  but 
this  is  not  so  good  an  arrangement  as  the  other  two. 

Individual  work  should  not  be  forgotten  in  the 
chorus  work.  While  the  classes  are  too  large  and 
the  time  too  short  for  much  individual  singing,  the 
same  results  can  be  arrived  at,  in  a  measure,  by 
changing  the  seating  from  time  to  time  so  that  pu- 
pils may  get  used  to  singing  with  different  people. 
Another  way  is  to  seat  the  pupils  by  quartettes,  like 

/is: 
ASBTASBT 
ASBTASBT 
ASBTASBT 

As  pupils  should  be  independent  singers  when 
they  graduate  from  high  school,  seating  them  in  this 
way,  where  the  pupils  sitting  immediately  next  to 
them  are  singing  some  other  part,  will  make  them 
independent  and  secure  nearly  all  the  good  effect 
of  individual  work  without  the  loss  of  time  which 
the  real  individual  work  would  entail. 

Rehearsing  a  chorus  in  a  large  auditorium  is 
very  hard  work  for  both  teacher  and  pupils,  as  it 
is  hard  to  give  orders  and  be  heard.  High  schools 


40  V  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

A 

having  music  rooms  are  therefore  to  be  envied. 
In  these  music  rooms,  the  seating  arrangement  should 
be  different  from  the  usual  seating  arrangement,  in 
that,  if  opera  chairs  are  used,  they  should  be  ar- 
ranged in  sections  with  not  more  than  four  or  six 
chairs  in  a  row.  This  enables  the  teacher  to  get 
nearer  the  pupils  to  help  them  and  to  see  what  they 
are  doing.  The  usual  room  has  twelve  or  thirteen 
seats  in  a  row.  This  puts  many  of  the  pupils  too 
far  from  the  aisle  for  the  teacher  to  hear  their  work. 

CARE  OF  MATERIAL 

One  difficulty  encountered  in  chorus  work  is  the 
handling  and  conservation  of  material.  When  the 
pupils  furnish  their  own  music  this  presents  no 
problem.  When  books  are  furnished  by  the  school 
board,  enough  should  be  purchased  to  furnish  at 
least  one  copy  for  every  two  pupils.  A  high  school 
with  sixteen  hundred  pupils  should  have  eight  hun- 
dred books  of  a  kind.  In  the  regular  chorus  class 
each  pupil  would  have  a  book,  and  at  assembly  each 
two  pupils  would  have  one.  It  would  be  better  for 
each  one  of  the  sixteen  hundred  to  have  a  book  and 
be  responsible  for  it  and  bring  it  to  the  class  each 
time,  but  this  would  double  the  expense.  The  bet- 
ter way  is  to  devise  some  scheme  of  distributing  and 
collecting  the  books  at  each  lesson.  It  is  a  good 
plan  to  have  a  library  truck  for  the  music  books. 
This  can  be  wheeled  along  the  aisle,  the  end  pupil 


s 

o 
o 
05 


a 
€ 

-c 

M 


*  A* 

•        ~*" 


a) 
£ 


CHORUS  41 

on  either  side  taking  the  required  number  of  books 
and  passing  them  along.  At  the  end  of  each  lesson 
period,  they  may  be  passed  and  piled  in  the  middle 
seat  of  each  row,  which  seat  should  be  left  vacant 
for  that  purpose.  At  the  end  of  the  last  period 
they  may  be  collected  and  returned  to  their  places 
by  the  pupils  sitting  in  the  aisle  seats.  Where  the 
room  is  provided  with  opera  chairs,  there  should  be 
book  racks  on  the  back  of  each  seat.  While  the 
books  are  being  given  out  and  collected  the  class 
should  sing  some  selection  from  memory  so  that 
the  time  may  be  fully  occupied. 

LIBRARY 

When  pupils  like  a  selection,  they  are  very  likely 
to  take  books  home  without  permission  and  either 
forget  to  bring  them  back  or  keep  them  purposely. 
Often  they  want  to  sing  some  of  the  school  music 
in  their  churches  or  to  work  on  the  lessons  at  home. 
They  should  be  encouraged  to  sing  out  of  school 
as  much  as  possible.  The  best  way  to  do  this  is  to 
place  a  number  of  the  music  books  in  the  school 
library  where  they  may  be  drawn  as  regular  library 
books.  This  will  take  a  great  deal  of  work  from 
the  chorus  leader  and  will  allow  all  the  books  to  be 
collected  at  the  lessons. 

ATTENDANCE  RECORDS 

While  keeping  a  record  of  the  attendance  of  a 
chorus  class  is  something  of  a  problem,  it  is  some- 


42  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

thing  that  should  be  done  very  accurately.  No  one 
would  think  of  calling  the  names  of  the  pupils  as 
it  would  take  all  the  time  of  the  lesson  to  do  it. 
In  fact  calling  the  names  of  the  pupils  in  any  class 
always  impressed  me  as  the  very  best  way  of  wast- 
ing the  time  of  the  lesson  that  could  well  be  de- 
vised, yet  it  is  still  done  in  many  schools. 

SEATING  DIAGRAM 

The  best  way  to  take  the  attendance  is  to  have 
a  seating  diagram  made  with  pockets  into  which 
cards  bearing  the  names  of  the  pupils  can  be  slipped. 
A  card  can  be  slipped  quickly  into  the  pocket  corre- 
sponding to  the  seat  the  pupil  occupies  in  the  class. 
These  seating  diagrams  are  very  easily  made.  The 
small  ones  for  common  school  rooms  are  for  sale 
at  school  supply  stores,  but  they  are  seldom  large 
enough  for  a  chorus  class,  and  the  pockets  are  sel- 
dom deep  enough  to  accommodate  the  cards  of  the 
size  the  chorus  leader  requires.  These  plats  can 
be  made  of  cardboard,  but,  as  they  have  to  be  used 
a  great  deal  in  chorus  classes,  such  material  soon  be- 
comes soiled  and  torn.  Some  dark  colored  cloth  of 
a  firm  texture  that  can  be  laundered  and  starched 
whenever  necessary  is  best.  Such  a  seating  diagram 
will  last  indefinitely. 

We  will  suppose  the  room  is  provided  with  opera 
chairs  and  that  there  are  ten  seats  in  a  row  between 
aisles  and  twelve  rows  of  seats  from  front  to  rear. 
This  would  call  for  a  diagram  of  twelve  rows  from 
side  to  side,  with  ten  pockets  in  a  row. 


Seating  Diagram 


CHORUS  43 

The  cards  used  may  be  of  any  size,,  but  experi- 
ence has  proved  that  a  card  made  of  stiff  cardboard 
one  inch  wide  and  three  inches  long  is  about  the  best 
size.  This  card  requires  a  pocket  an  inch  and  eighth 
wide  and  two  inches  deep,  so  that  the  card  will  slip 
in  easily  and  yet  be  held  securely.  One  inch  at  the 
end  of  the  card  should  show  above  the  pocket. 

A  piece  of  the  material  twelve  by  fifteen  inches 
should  be  used  for  a  foundation.  A  plat  of  this 
size  is  convenient  to  handle  and  will  seat  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  pupils. 

For  the  above  size  cut  twelve  strips  of  the  cloth 
twelve  inches  long  and  two  and  one  half  inches 
wide.  Hem  one  side  of  each  strip  with  a  hem  about 
an  eighth  of  an  inch  wide.  Lay  the  first  strip  on  the 
foundation  cloth  with  the  hemmed  edge  one  inch 
and  a  half  from  and  parallel  to  the  top  (twelve  inch) 
edge  of  foundation  cloth.  Sew  lower  unhemmed 
edge  of  this  strip  to  the  foundation  cloth  with  the 
line  of  stitches  just  two  inches  from  and  parallel 
to  the  hemmed  edge.  Lay  the  next  strip  so  that  its 
hemmed  edge  is  just  one  inch  below  and  parallel  to 
the  hemmed  edge  of  the  first  strip  and  sew  the  lower 
unhemmed  edge  to  the  foundation  cloth  as  the  first 
strip  was  sewed.  The  second  strip  will  overlap  the 
first  an  inch  and  will  then  hide  the  first  line  of 
stitches.  Sew  on  the  rest  of  the  strips  in  the  same 
manner. 

To  complete  the  pockets  commence  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  from  one  of  the  long  edges  of  the  founda- 


44  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

tion  and  sew  a  line  of  stitches  from  the  bottom  to 
the  top  of  the  cloth  at  right  angles  to  the  strips 
sewing  them  to  the  foundation  cloth.  Make  this 
line  very  straight.  An  inch  and  an  eighth  from  this 
line  of  stitches  sew  another.  Sew  other  lines  of 
stitches  with  the  same  spacing  until  the  other  side 
of  the  cloth  is  reached.  This  will  make  a  line  of 
ten  pockets  in  a  row  and  each  pocket  will  be  two 
inches  deep  and  an  inch  and  an  eighth  wide,  with 
a  neatly  hemmed  edge. 

Take  another  piece  of  cloth  twelve  by  fifteen 
inches  and  sew  it  to  the  back  of  the  first  by  running 
a  line  of  stitches  around  three  edges  leaving  one 
twelve  inch  edge  open.  Bind  the  edges  of  the  whole. 
Into  the  pocket  formed  by  the  two  large  pieces  of 
cloth  slip  a  piece  of  stiff  cardboard  that  will  fit 
tightly  and  you  will  have  a  seating  plat  that  will  be 
very  useful  and  will  last  for  years.  When  it  gets 
soiled  it  can  readily  be  laundered. 

CARDS 

When  the  chorus  is  seated  for  the  first  time  each 
pupil  should  be  given  one  of  the  small  cards  referred 
to  above.  Anything  the  teacher  wishes  may  be  put 
on  this  card.  Instead  of  telling  the  pupils  what  to 
do  with  this  card  a  quicker  way  is  to  have  a  sample 
card  drawn  on  the  blackboard  and  allow  each  pupil 
to  fill  in  his  own,  printing  the  various  items  instead 
of  writing  them.  As  soon  as  the  pupils  have  filled 


CHORUS  45 

Jones,  in   these  cards,   the  person  who  looks 

Mary  A.  after  the  attendance  should  begin  to 
Senior.  place  these  cards  in  the  pockets  of  the 

Second  seating   plat  while    the   chorus   leader 

Soprano.  takes  up  the  music  of  the  lesson.  The 
Room  A.  person  taking  up  the  cards  should  stand 
facing  the  class  holding  the  seating  plat  so  that 
the  pockets  correspond  exactly  to  the  seats  of  the 
room  as  he  sees  them  while  facing  the  class.  Com- 
mencing with  the  front  row  of  pupils  he  should  place 
the  cards  belonging  to  the  pupils  in  the  first  row  of 
pockets  nearest  him  at  the  bottom  of  the  plat  and 
so  on  until  all  the  cards  are  placed. 

TAKING  ATTENDANCE 

The  persons  taking  the  attendance  may  be  regu- 
lar high  school  teachers  assigned  to  that  duty  or  they 
may  be  members  of  the  chorus.  It  is  a  good  plan 
to  have  pupils  do  this  work  as  it  relieves  the  teach- 
ers, gives  the  pupils  responsibility,  and  gets  needed 
work  done.  A  turbulent  pupil  is  often  steadied  by 
responsibility  and  extra  work.  It  is  also  a  good 
plan  to  allow  a  girl  to  take  the  attendance  of  the 
bass  and  tenor  sections,  and  a  boy  that  of  soprano 
and  alto. 

With  a  diagram  of  this  kind  absences  are  in- 
stantly noted  by  the  person  holding  the  diagram 
and  a  glance  at  the  names  on  the  cards  will  quickly 
show  what  pupil  is  missing.  When  a  pupil  needs 
to  be  moved,  his  card  can  be  moved  to  correspond 
to  his  new  place  in  the  class. 


46  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

USEFULNESS  OF   CARDS 

These  cards  can  be  used  for  a  number  of  other 
purposes  than  merely  attendance.  A  card  with  no 
additional  marks  may  indicate  satisfactory  work  in 
class.  Various  marks  may  be  added  if  the  work  is 
not  satisfactory.  When  a  pupil  has  been  absent 
his  card  may  be  turned  face  in  and  left  so  until 
the  pupil  has  brought  his  excuse  and  been  reinstated 
in  the  class.  Deportment  may  be  marked  with  col- 
ored cards.  If  a  pupil  is  troublesome  or  lazy,  a  blue 
card  may  be  slipped  in  behind  his  white  card  and  left 
there  until  its  removal  is  made  the  reward  of  a  cer- 
tain number  of  days  with  a  perfect  score.  A  repeti- 
tion of  the  offense  may  mean  a  red  card  and  a  longer 
season  of  probation.  A  third  offense  may  mean  a 
black  card  and  consequent  expulsion  from  the  class. 
This  seemingly  childish-sounding  scheme  used  by  a 
tactful  and  fair-minded  teacher  is  a  potent  means 
to  assist  pupils  to  learn  to  discipline  themselves. 

When  the  diagrams  are  left  where  the  pupils 
can  see  them,  one's  transgressions  against  the  effi- 
ciency of  the  class  show  up  in  brilliant  colors.  That 
the  least  disorder  destroys  the  efficiency  of  the  class, 
the  pupils  know  well.  With  this  glaring  record  of 
where  the  blame  rests  a  wholesome  public  opinion 
can  be  trained.  Contrasting  the  diagrams  of  differ- 
ent classes  and  sections  of  the  same  class  may  have 
a  wholesome  influence  if  tactfully  done.  There  may 
be  a  little  danger  that  the  pupils  will  yield  to  the 
temptation  to  remove  these  colored  cards  surrepti- 


CHORUS  47 

tiously,  but  here  again  the  innate  honesty  of  the  stu- 
dents can  be  trusted. 

DISCIPLINE 

It  takes  strength,  tact,  and  good  sense  of  a  very 
decided  type  on  the  part  of  the  chorus  leader  to 
properly  discipline  a  large  chorus.  And  if  the  chorus 
is  not  well  disciplined  there  will  be  no  music  to 
amount  to  anything.  It  seems  almost  like  sacrilege 
to  mention  music  and  discipline  together  but  we  may 
as  well  face  the  facts.  Ensemble  music  of  all  sorts 
requires  the  closest  attention,  and  this  attention 
depends  upon  the  response  the  leader  succeeds  in 
getting  from  the  members  of  his  body  of  musicians. 
The  discipline  the  captain  of  the  company  of  sol- 
diers imposes  upon  his  men  is  not  to  be  compared 
in  severity  to  that  required  by  the  leader  of  the  pro- 
fessional orchestra.  The  response  to  orders  must 
be  exact  and  instantaneous  or  the  musical  effects  will 
not  be  good.  The  same  is  true  of  the  high  school 
chorus.  It  is  the  leader's  greatest  task  to  learn  how 
to  discipline  his  chorus  effectively  and  get  them  not 
only  to  submit  to  this  discipline  but  to  discipline 
themselves. 

If  the  general  discipline  of  the  high  school  is 
weak,  as  it  so  often  is,  the  chorus  class  will  show 
the  same  weakness.  There  must  be  a  chorus  leader 
who  can  keep  the  pupils  interested  and  make  the 
lessons  go.  Supporting  him  there  must  be  the  prin- 
cipal of  the  school  and  the  regular  high  school  teach- 


48  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

ers,  all  of  them  ready  and  willing  to  help  make  the 
chorus  work  a  success.  There  must  be  at  least  two 
stiff  and  able  bodied  spines  back  of  each  chorus  class; 
one  must  belong  to  the  chorus  leader,  and  the  other 
to  the  principal  of  the  school.  A  weakness  in  either 
will  result  in  the  failure  of  the  chorus  work.  The 
principal  is  apt  to  demand  that  the  chorus  leader 
do  the  disciplining;  the  chorus  leader  is  prone  to  lay 
this  work  on  the  principal.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
both  must  do  it.  Since  one  person  has  about  all  he 
can  do  to  run  the  musical  end  of  a  chorus  class  with- 
out having  to  do  much  disciplining,  it  is  well  to  have 
one  of  the  regular  teachers  of  the  school  detailed  to 
assist  in  this  work. 

The  success  of  any  scheme  of  discipline  depends 
entirely  upon  the  ideal  the  leader  has  regarding 
discipline  and  upon  his  success  in  establishing  the 
same  ideal  in  the  minds  of  the  pupils  and  securing 
their  cooperation  in  enforcing  it.  Since  prevention  is, 
as  we  know,  the  best  cure  for  any  disease,  the  clever 
leader  will  so  plan  and  carry  on  his  lessons  that  there 
will  be  no  time  or  inclination  to  disorder  among  the 
pupils.  The  first  and  most  important  step  in  this 
direction  is  to  make  the  music  work  worth  while,  and 
to  make  the  pupils  see  that  it  is  worth  while.  This 
will  be  discussed  later. 

Discipline  is  especially  hard  in  chorus  classes  as 
chorus  singing  is  necessarily  a  noisy  subject,  involv- 
ing large  numbers  of  people,  and  a  subject  requiring 
closer  and  steadier  attention  than  any  other.  Each 
chorus  leader  must  work  out  his  own  individual  ways 


CHORUS  49 

of  discipline  and  he  must  be  firm  and  smiling  at  the 
same  time.  Since  young  people  will  work  hard  for 
any  person  they  like,  the  chorus  leader  must  be  sure 
to  merit  and  secure  the  respect  and  liking  of  his 
pupils. 

(  "It  is  an  easy  thing  to  stand  a  pupil  up  and  make 
him  do  a  thing.  It  is  far  harder  to  stand  him  up 
and  make  him  want  to  do  it."*)  The  latter  is  true 
discipline;  no  other  ideal  should  be  tolerated.  We 
sometimes  have  to  use  the  first  to  begin  with  but 
we  should  never  be  satisfied  until  we  have  achieved 
the  latter. 

The  leader  should  always  assume  that  the  pu- 
pils are  in  perfect  harmony  with  his  wishes  and  that 
they  will  strive  to  carry  out  his  plans  and  sugges- 
tions. He  should  never  assume  that  there  will  be 
trouble  in  any  way,  but  of  course  he  must  be  ready 
to  deal  with  or  ignore  trouble  at  any  time.  The 
wise  teacher  will  choose  which  of  these  two  plans 
will  best  serve  the  occasion. 

PUBLIC  OPINION 

The  leader's  most  important  work  will  be  to 
train  his  pupils  to  take  such  pride  in  the  music  that 
they  will  tolerate  nothing  that  impairs  its  perfec- 
tion. When  this  is  accomplished,  the  lawlessly- 
inclined  student  will  be  kept  in  line  by  the  public 
opinion  of  the  class.  No  punishment  the  teacher  is 
able  to  mete  out  approaches  in  effectiveness  the 
weight  of  public  opinion. 


50  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC  TEACHING 

It  should  be  the  rule  that  pupils  should  keep  at 
work  in  the  chorus  class  and  do  as  much  as  they  can 
no  matter  what  the  quality  of  the  result.  A  pupil's 
standing  in  the  music  class  should  be  determined  by 
the  effort  put  forth  rather  than  by  the  quality  of  the 
effect.  This  standard  will  appeal  to  all  as  fair  and 
will  encourage  those  who  have  not  had  the  advantage 
of  a  good  musical  education  in  the  grades.  The 
leader  must  be  continuously  on  the  watch  to  see  that 
every  pupil  is  working  all  the  time.  Whenever  a 
pupil  is  lazy,  wasting  his  time,  or  out  of  order,  he 
should  have  it  brought  home  to  him  quietly  and  per- 
sonally that  he  is  disturbing  the  efficiency  of  the 
class.  If  he  is  not  doing  his  best,  the  class  suffers. 
If  he  is  attracting  attention,  the  class  suffers.  Since 
anything  he  does  that  is  not  helping  is  hindering  the 
whole  class,  he  should  be  made  to  answer  for  it. 
This  will  develop  his  feeling  of  individual  respon- 
sibility for  the  good  of  the  whole  lesson.  At  the 
end  of  the  month  all  these  lapses  should  be  taken 
into  account  when  determining  the  standing  of  the 
pupil. 

When  a  pupil  fails  in  any  subject  he  is  often  very 
sure  that  he  has  been  badly  treated  and  that  the 
teacher  has  a  grudge  against  him,  or  at  least  he  tries 
to  make  the  teacher  think  so.  To  silence  these  ob- 
jectors slips  like  the  following  should  be  prepared 
and  kept  on  hand.  They  can  either  be  printed  or 
made  on  a  typewriter. 


CHORUS  5 1 

Date Hour  of  Chorus.. 

FAILED  IN  CHORUS  WORK 

Why   

Signature  of  Pupil 

Whenever  a  pupil  is  not  doing  his  full  duty  he 
may  be  handed  one  of  these  slips.  Not  a  word  need 
be  said  to  disturb  the  others.  Requiring  a  pupil 
then  and  there  to  write  out  and  sign  the  reason  for 
failing  to  do  his  work  gives  him  food  for  thought 
that  is  very  salutary.  These  slips  can  be  filed  away, 
and  if  there  is  any  question  at  the  end  of  the  month 
what  the  pupil's  mark  should  be,  the  exhibition  of 
these  records  in  the  hand  writing  of  the  pupil  him- 
self will  quiet  any  remonstrance  he  may  wish  to 
offer.  The  pupils  realize  that  it  is  a  rather  serious 
matter  for  the  teacher  to  have  such  a  document  in 
his  possession.  They  seldom  have  to  be  handed 
the  second  slip  for  the  same  offense.  It  is  not  well, 
however,  to  keep  these  slips  hanging  over  a  pupil 
for  more  than  the  current  month.  He  should  be 
allowed  to  start  with  a  clean  slate  the  next  month. 
Some  system  might  also  be  devised  whereby  a  pupil 
might  redeem  his  slip  or  slips,  by  extra  good  work 
for  a  certain  length  of  time. 

THE  "HONOR  SYSTEM" 

After  the  first  four  weeks  of  school  during  which 
time  the  students  have  become  acquainted  one  with 
the  other,  they  are  given  the  opportunity  to  elect 


52  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

their  honor  students, — those  who  have  shown  the 
best  qualities  of  self-government  and  musicianship. 
Each  row  informally,  quickly  and  quietly  elects 
its  honor  student  who  takes  the  end  seat  in  that  row. 
The  honor  student  acts  as  chairman  of  his  row. 
In  case  of  any  disturbance  or  lack  of  scholarship, 
the  whole  row  must  leave  the  class  and  sacrifice  their 
membership  in  the  class  until  the  student  who  has 
destroyed  the  efficiency  of  the  row  makes  amends 
both  to  his  fellow  students  and  to  the  teacher.  It 
does  not  take  him  long  to  see  the  injustice  of  his 
behavior  when  counseled  by  his  fellow  students  out- 
side the  class  room.  If  the  student  causing  the  dis- 
order does  not  make  it  right  with  the  class  the  other 
students  in  his  row  have  the  privilege  of  dismissing 
him  from  the  class,  or  if  they  fail  to  come  to  an 
understanding,  the  whole  row  must  leave  the  class. 
Thus  far  we  have  not  had  a  single  case  where  a  pu- 
pil did  not  do  the  right  thing.  There  are  many  ad- 
vantages in  this  kind  of  discipline.  Mainly  it  re- 
lieves the  teacher  of  doing  the  thing  himself — thus 
eliminating  the  usual  hard  feelings  between  teacher 
and  pupil.  There  is  no  greater  penalty  than  that 
penalty  which  is  placed  upon  a  student  by  his  fellow 
classmen.  No  student  cares  to  be  penalized  the 
second  time.  It  teaches  disorderly  students  that 
they  cannot  destroy  the  efficiency  of  others  and  that 
the  sooner  they  learn  to  be  loyal  and  respectful  to 
others,  the  happier  they  will  become  and  the  more 
respected. 


CHORUS  53 

INDIVIDUAL  THINKING 

The  difficult  problem  in  educating  pupils  in 
classes  is  to  get  them  to  think  individually  while 
working  with  others.  It  is  this  Inability  to  think 
personally  in  a  crowd  that  is  responsible  for  many 
accidents  and  panics.  This  individual  consciousness 
is  especially  difficult  to  develop  in  the  chorus  class, 
and  to  bring  about  its  development  will  tax  the  in- 
genuity of  the  best  teacher.  Teachers  are  very 
prone  to  talk  too  much  and  in  too  general  a  manner. 
Whenever  a  criticism  is  given  it  should  be  given  to 
the  individual.  It  should  be  given  tactfully  of 
course;  the  pupil  should  not  be  "bawled  out"  before 
the  class.  If  there  is  a  disturbance  of  any  kind  the 
leader  should  make  certain  who  is  responsible  and 
then  bring  the  responsibility  home  to  him  with  a 
failure  slip  or  in  some  other  inconspicuous  way. 

The  teacher  should  always  think  of  his  class  as 
a  collection  of  individuals.  Many  chorus  leaders 
see  but  the  mass.  The  leader  should  always  see 
pupils  as  individuals.  He  should  learn  the  names 
of  the  pupils  as  soon  as  possible  and  think  of  them 
by  name  as  he  sweeps  his  eye  over  the  class.  He 
should  establish  a  personal  relation  with  each  mem- 
ber of  the  class  as  soon  as  possible  and  show  that  he 
is  interested  in  each  and  every  one.  He  must  really 
feel  this  interest  and  not  put  it  on,  as  pupils  at  this 
age  are  very  hard  to  deceive.  Even  if  a  teacher 
does  not  feel  this  personal  interest  he  can  cultivate 
it  if  he  sets  about  it.  If  he  is  a  born  teacher,  he 
will  feel  it  instinctively. 


54  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

When  there  is  something  wrong  with  the  music 
some  pupil  should  be  asked  to  tell  the  trouble  and 
how  to  remedy  it.  The  question,  "What  did  you 
do  to  make  it  better?"  will  emphasize  this  personal 
responsibility.  Each  pupil  must  feel  personally 
responsible  for  the  success  of  the  chorus  and  also 
understand  that  as  a  step  in  this  direction  he  must 
help  his  neighbor  to  knowledge  as  well  as  himself. 

PUPILS  SHOULD  HELP  EACH  OTHER 

Many  pupils  will  be  found  who  cannot  read 
music.  Each  one  of  these  should  be  put  in  the  care 
of  some  good  reader.  It  will  be  good  for  the  clever 
pupil  to  help  the  dull.  The  latter  will  learn  to  be 
a  help  to  the  class  instead  of  a  possible  hindrance, 
and  the  spirit  of  the  whole  class  will  be  raised. 
These  pairs  of  students  should  be  permitted  to  sit 
away  from  the  rest  of  the  chorus  where  the  ex- 
planations of  the  teacher  pupil  will  not  disturb  the 
singing.  They  should  be  urged  to  work  together 
outside  of  the  class  time  as  much  as  possible.  The 
pride  of  both  should  be  awakened  in  the  speed  with 
which  the  slow  pupil  learns  to  take  care  of  himself. 
A  pupil  will  learn  from  another  pupil  faster  than 
he  will  from  the  teacher.  This  distribution  of  the 
teaching  force  not  only  multiplies  the  teacher's  effec- 
tiveness but  rapidly  welds  the  class  into  a  smoothly 
running  music  machine.  If  a  teacher  wishes  to  make 
friends  with  his  pupils  he  should  get  them  to  help 


CHORUS  55 

him  and  help  the  school.  They  like  responsibility 
and  public  spirit.  Here  is  a  fine  chance  to  let  them 
develop  both. 

A  QUIET  MUSIC  ROOM 

There  must  be  the  appeal  of  common  sense  in 
all  the  suggestions  that  a  teacher  makes  to  a  class. 
For  instance,  if  there  is  noise  in  the  class  room,  it 
will  not  do  for  the  teacher  to  say  "keep  still,"  for 
pupils  are  very  apt  to  think  this  expression  is  noth- 
ing but  a  symptom  of  crankiness  on  the  part  of  the 
teacher.  The  teacher  should  instead  remind  the 
class  that  a  person  must  have  delicate  hearing  to 
be  a  good  singer;  that  noise  makes  the  singing  sound 
out  of  tune  and  dulls  the  ear  to  the  more  delicate 
shadings  of  music.  As  this  logic  will  appeal  to  most 
of  the  pupils,  they  will  themselves  see  that  the  class 
is  quiet.  If  a  pupil  is  noisy,  the  teacher  may  quietly 
ask  him  if  he  is  hard  of  hearing.  This  will  bring 
home  to  him  his  trouble. 

Whispering  is  but  the  sign  of  lack  of  something 
to  do  or  of  a  lack  of  self-control.  If  the  student 
does  not  respond  to  the  teacher's  suggestion  that 
whispering  impairs  the  efficiency  of  the  class  and  is 
therefore  not  fair  to  the  other  pupils,  the  offender 
should  be  put  between  two  well-conducted  pupils  and 
allowed  to  absorb  a  little  self-control  from  them. 
In  most  cases  this  is  effective.  Often  it  is  well  for  the 
teacher  to  point  out  to  the  pupil  that  a  lack  of  self- 
control  is  the  cause  of  his  trouble. 


56  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

THE  INATTENTIVE  PUPIL 

The  inattentive  pupil  should  be  reminded  that 
he  has  work  to  do,  and  that  if  he  cannot  make  him- 
self do  it  it  is  because  he  is  too  weak  in  driving  force 
to  make  himself  work.  When  his  inattention  is 
laid  to  lack  of  mental  force,  a  pupil  seldom  needs 
a  second  reminder.  In  cases  of  extreme  inattention 
it  is  sometimes  a  salutary  thing  to  tell  him  that  the 
work  is  apparently  too  hard  for  him  and  that  he 
may  sit  in  the  back  of  the  room  and  draw  pictures 
or  do  something  simple  enough  for  him  to  grasp. 
This  will  not  do  with  some  pupils  but  it  is  a  very 
effective  awakener  with  many.  After  one  trial  of 
this  plan  the  pupil  usually  returns  to  the  class  and 
asks  to  prove  to  the  teacher  and  the  rest  of  the  class 
that  he  is  strong  enough  to  do  the  work.  "Show 
me,"  says  the  teacher  and  the  incident  is  closed. 

Removal  to  a  front  seat  is  another  good  cure 
for  laziness.  Pupils  who  sing  out  of  tune  should 
also  sit  in  the  front  seats  with  a  few  good  pupils 
to  help  them  so  that  their  out-of-tune  singing  will 
not  affect  the  music  of  the  whole  class.  This  section 
of  the  front  seats  should  be  distinct  from  the  dis- 
ciplinary section. 

Sometimes  a  pupil  does  not  sing  because  he 
knows  the  piece  already.  He  should  be  reminded 
that  since  there  are  others  who  are  trying  to  learn, 
it  is  his  duty  to  do  his  work  so  well  that  the  rest 
will  have  a  better  chance  to  learn. 

Sometimes  pupils  will  not  sing  just  because  they 


CHORUS  57 

do  not  want  to.  It  is  a  poor  idea  for  the  teacher 
to  say  they  must  sing.  If  the  fact  that  they  are 
likely  to  fail  and  that  the  rest  of  the  chorus  needs 
their  help  does  not  stir  them  to  activity,  it  is  well  to 
interview  them  after  the  class  and  find  out  the  reason 
for  their  attitude.  A  little  heart  to  heart  talk  will 
usually  settle  the  matter.  Occasionally  one  will 
be  found  with  whom  this  treatment  will  not  be  effec- 
tive. He  may  be  excused  from  singing  and  be  re- 
quired to  write  out  all  the  music  the  class  sings  and 
put  the  proper  syllables  under  the  notes.  This 
should  be  accepted  by  the  chorus  leader  as  a  sub- 
stitute for  the  chorus  work  provided  it  is  done  be- 
fore the  pupil  goes  home  at  night.  This  will  bring 
home  to  the  student  the  foolishness  of  the  "lazy 
man's  burden"  as  no  other  plan  will,  for  the  clever 
teacher  will  see  to  it  that  the  class  sings  enough  music 
to  keep  the  student  busy  long  enough  to  let  this  les- 
son sink  in.  This  logical  punishment  appealing  to 
the  student  as  fair,  a  few  days  of  this  will  bring  him 
to  his  senses. 

Students  who  are  unable  to  read  music  rapidly 
should  be  allowed  and  encouraged  to  take  their 
books  home  and  lightly  pencil  the  syllables  under 
the  notes. 

WHY  BOYS  DO  NOT  SING 

There  are  some  boys  who  do  not  sing.  It  is 
never  because  they  do  not  want  to,  or  that  the 
quality  of  their  voices  deters  them.  Every  boy 
would  like  to  sing  if  he  thought  he  could  do  it  well. 


58  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

Such  boys  are  afraid  to  exhibit  their  slowness  of 
reading.  Every  boy  at  a  certain  age  yearns  to  sing 
bass  and  make  a  good  loud  noise.  The  tactful  super- 
visor will  try  in  a  variety  of  ways  to  reach  these 
boys.  The  basses  should  be  encouraged  to  sing 
loudly  until  their  timidity  wears  off.  One  super- 
visor uses  this  expression  with  telling  effect,  "It 
takes  a  man  to  sing  bass.  A  sissy  never  can."  It 
will  be  found  that  the  biggest,  strongest  boys  usually 
have  the  best  voices.  This  can  be  pointed  out  to 
them  and  also  the  fact  that  the  successful  public 
singers  are  strong  men  physically. 

As  there  is  no  human  being  quite  so  susceptible 
to  flattery  as  the  adolescent  male,  a  little  skillfully 
applied  at  this  age  will  do  wonders  for  many  of 
them.  It  is  right  to  do  this,  for  there  are  times 
in  the  life  of  every  boy  when  a  little  flattery  is  the 
finest  thing  that  can  happen  to  him.  This  is  also 
true  of  girls,  too,  for  that  matter,  though  they  do 
not  need  it  as  much  but  get  it  more  often  than  the 
boys  do  at  the  awkward  age. 

In  this  connection,  it  will  be  worth  while  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  class  to  the  place  music  took 
in  the  late  war.  Singing  leaders  were  appointed 
for  the  camps  and  the  soldiers  were  taught  to  sing. 
The  bands  were  nearly  doubled  in  size  and  their 
use  and  number  greatly  increased.  It  may  be  worth 
while  to  learn,  at  this  point,  what  people  thoroughly 
conversant  with  the  conditions  in  the  army  camps, 
had  to  say  on  this  subject. 

"In  this  awful  war  music  has  received  an  im- 


CHORUS  59 

petus  greater  than  ever  before  known  in  history. 
Every  officer  and  soldier  of  the  four  million  in  the 
American  army  today  has  awakened  to  the  fact 
that  music  is  an  essential  in  war. 

"The  essentials  are  in  order: 
Food 
Clothes 

Military  equipment 
Music 

"Why  is  music  an  essential? 

"Because  it  has  given  to  our  soldiers  a  morale 
which  they  were  unable  to  obtain  by  any  other 
means. 

"Colonel  O.  E.  Haint  said,  'Singing  lifts  the 
men  along  at  the  end  of  a  hard  day  as  nothing  else 
can.' 

"Lieutenant-Colonel  John  W.  Abbott  said  con- 
cerning singing,  'Nothing  is  more  beneficial  in  pre-/ 
serving  the  health  and  spirits  of  the  men.' 

"Colonel  Robert  L.  Howze,    Chief    of    Staff, 
said,  'Successfully  trained  to  sing,  men  become  bet-   y 
ter  fitted  for  the  team-work  so  essential  in  battle^/ 

"General  Pershing  called  for  more  music  in  the 
same  message  in  which  he  called  for  more  food  and 
munitions.  He  says,  'Music  is  as  essential  to  the 
soldier  as  food  and  sleep.' 

"All  the  other  generals  were  unanimous  in  ex- 
pressing the  same  sentiment." 

DEVICES 

The  devices  given  for  control  and  discipline  are 
only  for  use  as  a  last  resort.  Devices  of  all  sorts 


60  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

are  for  use  only  when  the  teacher  has  failed  to 
present  the  lesson  with  the  proper  appeal.  How- 
ever, since  all  teachers  fail  at  times,  it  is  only  sensible 
to  have  a  number  of  plans  to  be  used  as  occasion 
requires. 

The  very  best  form  of  discipline  that  has  ever 
been  devised  is  to  keep  the  class  busy  all  the  time 
of  the  lesson.  With  no  idle  time  on  their  hands 
and  plenty  of  work  that  impresses  them  as  worth 
while,  pupils  will  need  no  disciplining. 

LESSON   PROGRAM 

In  classes  where  the  music  is  owned  by  the 
school  it  should  be  distributed  before  the  class  as- 
sembles, or  placed  where  each  pupil  can  get  a  copy 
as  he  enters.  Each  teacher  will  have  to  plan  this 
so  that  no  time  is  wasted.  Where  the  pupils  own 
their  music  there  is  of  course  no  problem  of  /dis- 
tribution. 

The  page  and  title  of  the  selections  to  be  sung 
during  the  lesson  should  be  on  the  blackboard.  As 
soon  as  a  dozen  pupils  are  seated  the  pianist  should 
strike  the  chord  and  the  leader  should  begin  the 
lesson  at  once.  As  the  others  enter  they  may 
open  their  books  and  join  in.  This  plan  wastes  no 
time.  If  the  teacher  wastes  no  time  the  pupils  will 
soon  catch  the  spirit  of  efficiency  and  work  the 
harder.  Thus  the  lesson  of  using  time  to  the  best 
advantage  will  be  taught.  The  pupils  will  learn  to 


CHORUS  61 

come  in  quietly  so  as  not  to  disturb  the  music  and 
there  will  be  no  opportunity  for  visiting  or  other 
disturbances. 

Another  way  to  begin  a  chorus  lesson  is  to  treat 
the  chorus  room  as  an  auditorium  and  allow  the 
chorus  to  enterja.s_any.  audience  does.  They  may 
visit  quietly  while  they  are  taking  their  seats,  put- 
ting their  school  books~  away,  and  finding  the  page 
of  the  first  selection  in  the  chorus  book.  This  gives 
the  young  people  a  moment  to  chat,  which  privi- 
lege they  dearly  love  but  which  they  must  be  taught 
not  to  abuse.  When  the  chorus  leader  steps  to  the 
front  of  the  class,  that  is  the  signal  for  attention; 
the  chord  sounds  from  the  piano,  the  conductor 
moves  his  baton ;  and  the  chorus  swings  into  the  first 
piece  without  loss  of  time.  They  have  had  a  little 
rest;  they  have  been  treated  like  sensible  human 
beings  and  they  are  in  just  the  frame  of  mind  to 
enjoy  their  singing  and  get  some  good  from  the 
lesson. 

The  lesson  should  be  divided  into  several  parts. 
First  some  familiar  selections  should  be  sung,  lively 
ones,  to  waken  the  class  to  the  joy  of  energetic  sing- 
ing. A  chorus  needs  this  awakening  more  than  other 
classes.  Next,  new  music  should  be  read.  Finally, 
the  lesson  should  be  closed  with  familiar  songs  and 
one  or  two  sung  from  memory  while  the  music  is 
being  collected  and  put  in  place  for  the  next  class. 
A  good  marching  song  may  be  sung  as  the  class  is 
dismissed.  Others  of  the  school  may  join  in  and 


62  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

/ 

the  whole  building  made  to  ring  with  the  song  as 
the  pupils  go  to  their  various  class  rooms. 

The  less  the  leader  has  to  say  the  better  in  all 
school  work.  The  chorus  class  is  no  exception. 
Having  the  page  and  title  of  the  selections  on  the 
board  will  do  away  with  some  talk  on  his  part.  In- 
stead of  announcing  the  page,  the  leader  may  simply 
point  to  the  next  on  the  board  and  proceed.  He 
must  of  course  make  some  comments  on  the  music 
but  these  will  be  reduced  to  the  minimum  if  he  has 
taught  his  pupils  to  follow  the  baton  as  outlined  in 
the  chapter  on  conducting. 

One  leader  used  a  clever  device  to  restore  order 
when  certain  chorus  members  insisted  on  whispering 
while  they  were  finding  the  page  of  a  new  selection. 
He  simply  arranged  the  lesson  with  songs  that  were 
in  the  same  or  related  keys  and  tapped  for  them  to 
hold  the  last  chord  of  one  piece  while  they  turned 
to  the  next.  Then  he  tapped  twice  and  started  them 
to  singing.  This  gave  no  time  for  conversation  and 
at  the  same  time  strengthened  the  singing  muscles. 
It  made  one  think  of  the  heartless  parent  who  com- 
pelled her  hapless  child  to  whistle  while  stoning 
raisins. 

SINGING  NEW  MUSIC 

It  is  easy  for  the  teacher  to  conduct  the  opening 
and  closing  parts  of  the  lesson  where  the  class  is 
singing  familiar  music,  for  all  the  pupils  do  well  if 
the  selections  fit  the  class  and  the  occasion.  The 


CHORUS  63 

middle  portion  of  the  lesson,  where  new  music  is 
sung,  will  tax  the  ingenuity  of  the  best  teacher  to 
bring  out  all  the  ability  the  class  possesses.  Teach- 
ers as  a  rule  expect  too  little  of  their  pupils.  This 
is  especially  true  of  the  chorus  leader,  and  it  shows 
particularly  when  the  class  sings  new  music.  The 
pupils  should  learn  that  in  all  ensemble  music,  but 
especially  when  they  are  reading  music  for  the  first 
time,  they  are  getting  the  best  training.  It  is  the 
individual  effort  of  every  member  of  the  class  doing 
team  work  of  the  finest  and  hardest  kind  that  makes 
the  chorus  work  perfect,  that  gives  him  the  most 
good  personally,  and  gives  the  other  fellow  a  chance 
to  make  good  also. 

LOGICAL  SEQUENCE 

The  logical  sequence  of  reading  music  as  out- 
lined in  the  chapter  on  "Reading  Music"  in  "Grade 
School  Music  Teaching"  should  be  kept  constantly 
before  the  pupils.  The  words  "Sing,  Time,  Notes, 
Words,  Expression"  should  be  on  the  board  where 
they  can  be  referred  to  at  any  time,  and  when  the 
work  does  not  go  well,  they  should  be  asked  where 
they  have  failed  to  follow  the  logical  order.  If 
their  habits  of  singing,  keeping  time,  etc.,  are  not 
correct  these  habits  should  be  reviewed  and  re- 
established and  the  importance  of  these  habits  should 
be  impressed  upon  the  pupils.  Full  directions  for 
achieving  these  ends  will  be  found  in  the  chapter 
on  Reading  Music  in  the  book  referred  to  above. 


64  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

The  greatest  educational  value  of  music  study 
should  be  brought  out  when  the  pupils  are  reading 
new  music.  This  part  of  the  lesson  shows  whether 
the  leader  is  an  educator  or  not.  Here  will  appear 
evidence  to  show  whether  the  leader  does  all  the 
work  or  whether  the  pupils  have  learned  to  use  their 
own  initiative  and  are  doing  the  fearless  team  work 
so  necessary  to  effective  membership  in  the  high 
school  chorus  or  in  the  chorus  of  life. 


New  music  should  be  taken  up  in  several  ways. 
Some  of  the  new  selections  should  be  sung  with  the 
piano  the  first  time  as  a  choral  society  would  sing 
them.  The  leader  should  assume  that  every  pupil 
reads  music  well.  Pupils  should  learn  that  mistakes 
are  of  no  consequence  and,  furthermore,  should  never 
be  reproved  for  them.  They  should  sing  the  piece 
through  in  the  proper  time,  at  the  first  attempt  no 
matter  how  many  mistakes  they  make.  This  will 
give  the  pupils  a  correct  idea  of  the  piece  as  a  whole 
the  first  time  they  go  through  it.  The  mistakes  can 
be  corrected  later.  Too  much  reading  of  new  music 
in  this  way  will,  however,  make  the  pupils  careless 
and  cause  them  to  relapse  into  being  mere  guessers, 
no  matter  how  good  their  preparation  has  been.  To 
obviate  this  some  of  the  new  music  should  be  sung 
by  syllable  without  the  piano  and  without  the  beat- 
ing of  time  by  the  leader.  In  taking  up  a  new  piece 
by  syllable  the  pupils  should  hold  their  books  and 


CHORUS  65 

beat  time  as  outlined  in  the  chapter  on  "Rhythm" 
in  "Grade  School  Music  Teaching."  If  the  music 
room  is  provided  with  desks  or  chairs  with  desk 
arms,  the  books  may  be  laid  flat.  If  the  room  is 
provided  with  opera  chairs,  the  pupils  may  lean  for- 
ward and  lay  the  books  flat  on  the  top  of  the  back 
of  the  chair  in  front,  holding  the  book  steady  with 
the  left  hand  and  beating  time  with  the  right.  The 
leader  may  then  walk  around  and  help  the  weak 
ones.  He  will  be  able  to  spot  these  unerringly  in 
the  largest  class  by  the  way  the  fingers  are  pointing. 
This  pointing  of  the  finger  shows  just  what  and  how 
much  or  little  the  pupil  knows.  In  this  work  also 
the  pupils  must  hold  to  the  logical  sequence  of  read- 
ing music  and  keep  going,  singing  smoothly  and  in 
time,  no  matter  how  many  mistakes  they  make  or 
how  bad  the  music  sounds. 

It  will  save  time  if  some  routine  is  adopted  to 
be  used  whenever  the  class  reads  new  music  by 
syllable.  The  following  is  a  good  one.  1.  Sing  the 
piece  once  with  syllable,  pointing  and  beating  time. 
2.  Repeat  with  words,  also  pointing  and  beating 
time.  3.  Hold  books  up  and  repeat  with  words. 
4.  Close  books  and  sing  from  memory.  5.  Open 
books  and  sing  the  next  selection.  All  this  the  stu- 
dents should  do  without  being  told.  The  teacher 
may  vary  this  routine  or  adopt  any  other,  but  one 
should  be  agreed  upon  and  the  pupils  should  under- 
stand that  it  is  to  be  followed  when  no  other  orders 
are  given  and  followed  without  their  being  reminded* 
or  losing  a  beat  between  times. 


66  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

STUDENTS  HELP  EACH  OTHER 

The  chorus  leader  will  not  be  able  to  help  all  the 
pupils  in  a  large  class  who  need  his  help.  He  should 
therefore  enlist  a  few  of  the  best  readers  among  the 
pupils  as  helpers  and  put  them  in  charge  of  sections 
of  the  chorus  to  help  the  lame  and  halting.  This 
will  not  only  make  the  teacher's  work  more  effective 
by  multiplying  it  many  times,  but  will  also  bring 
about  a  fine  spirit  of  cooperation  on  the  part  of  the 
pupils.  Giving  them  a  glimpse  of  the  teacher's 
side  of  the  work  will  induce  a  new  respect  for  the 
teacher  and  his  problems. 

Too  much  syllable  work  will  make  the  pupils 
slow  readers  but  will  make  them  accurate.  Too 
much  work  with  the  piano  will  make  them  rapid 
though  careless  and  dependent.  A  third  way  is  to 
take  some  of  the  new  songs'  words  first  without  the 
piano  or  leader,  leaving  out  the  first  number  of  the 
above  routine.  The  ingenious  teacher  will  see  and 
employ  many  usable  variations  of  the  foregoing  sug- 
gestions. 

Treating  new  selections  in  these  different  ways 
will  make  the  chorus  an  efficient  body  of  singers  and 
will  give  them  an  education  in  music,  concentration, 
efficiency,  and  initiative  such  as  is  afforded  by  no 
other  study  in  the  whole  curriculum. 

MOTIVE 

In  all  this  work  the  leader  should  see  that  the 
motive  force  comes  from  the  pupils.  He  should 


CHORUS  67 

teach  them  early  in  the  game  that  they  are  to  work 
whenever  there  is  an  opportunity  instead  of  when- 
ever they  are  told.  He  should  convince  them  that 
they  should  come  to  school  to  get  all  they  can  and 
not  all  they  have  to.  He  should  make  them  feel 
that  they  are  to  keep  the  lesson  moving,  that  the 
teacher  is  merely  the  steersman  and  advisor.  This 
treatment  will  throw  the  responsibility  upon  the 
pupils  where  it  belongs.  When  the  moving  force 
comes  from  the  pupils  habitually  the  teacher  may 
stop  the  class  and  drill  as  he  sees  fit,  but  on  no 
account  are  the  pupils  to  get  the  idea  that  they  may 
stop  for  mistakes  or  anything  else  unless  the  leader 
stops  them.  Following  this  rule  will  save  much 
time,  and  pupils  will  develop  such  alert  and  fearless 
habits  of  mind  that  they  will  read  music  rapidly,  ac- 
curately, and  eagerly. 

PRACTICE 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  sing  a  new  selection  but  once 
or  twice  at  the  first  lesson  and  then  lay  it  away  to 
be  finished  and  polished  at  another  time,  using  the 
devices  referred  to  in  the  chapters  on  "Singing," 
"Rhythm,"  and  "Reading  Music,"  in  "Grade  School 
Music  Teaching."  The  class  should  be  watched 
closely,  and  when  they  show  signs  of  fatigue  or  lack 
of  interest  another  selection  should  be  given  them 
to  sing.  It  is  far  better  to  practice  a  piece  at  sev- 
eral different  lessons  than  to  spend  too  much  time  • 
on  the  same  piece  at  one  lesson.  Developing  the\ 
pride  of  the  class  in  the  perfection  of  the  finish  of 

v 


68  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

the  music  so  that  they  submit  to  the  necessary  drill- 
ing is  one  of  the  most  important  and  difficult  parts 
of  the  teacher's  work  with  high  school  students. 
One  set  of  students  will  think  anything  is  good 
enough  while  another  set  will  be  very  particular 
about  the  music  and  promptly  resent  any  slackness. 
How  to  weld  these  two  extremes  into  a  whole  will 
keep  the  teacher  working  and  compel  him  to  use  all 
the  tact  and  ingenuity  he  can  command. 

INDIVIDUAL  WORK 

The  time  is  too  short  and  the  numbers  too  many 
for  individual  work  in  the  chorus  classes.  Nor 
should  there  be  any  need  of  such  individual  work 
as  the  pupils  should  be  so  well  prepared  that  it  is 
not  necessary.  They  seldom  are,  however,  and  so 
many  devices  may  be  used  to  get  the  effect  of  in- 
dividual work  without  taking  so  much  of  the  class 
lesson  time  as  individual  work  requires.  Allowing 
^pupils  to  help  each  other  both  in  and  out  of  the  class 
time  as  outlined  above  is  one  good  way.  Another 
way  is  to  divide  the  class  into  sections  and  let  each 
section  sing  a  part  of  the  music  while  the  others 
listen.  For  example,  if  the  pupils  are  seated  in 
twelve  rows  from  front  to  back  the  first  three  rows 
across  the  room  may  be  the  first  section,  the  second 
three  rows  the  second  section,  etc.  These  sections 
may  sing  in  turn  and  the  others  be  allowed  to  criti- 
cise their  work.  Another  excellent  way  is  to  seat 
the  pupils  by  quartettes  as  is  outlined  on  page  39. 


CHORUS  69 

ACCOMPANISTS 

A  good  chorus  accompanist  is  a  prime  requisite 
but  hard  to  get.  Accompanists  should  be  developed 
from  among  the  pupils  whenever  possible,  as  play- 
ing for  a  chorus  is  fine  training  for  a  pianist.  The 
piano  should  be  an  accompaniment,  and  not  a  leader 
or  a  coverer  as  it  so  often  is.  The  piano  cleverly 
played  will  help  the  chorus  wonderfully.  Improp- 
erly used  it  will  do  more  to  spoil  a  chorus  than  any- 
thing that  has  yet  been  devised. 

With  the  limited  time  given  to  music  in  the 
grades,  pupils  seldom  become  expert  in  modulation; 
hence  there  is  a  great  deal  of  modern  music" thaf~ 
pupils  cannot  sing  well  by  syllable  without  some  help 
from  the  piano.  This  phase  of  modern  music  is  a 
stumbling  block  to  the  usual  chorus  singer,  as  the 
instrument  he  uses,  his  voice,  can  make  only  one  tone 
at  a  time  and  any  one  making  only  one  tone  at  a 
time  whether  by  means  of  the  voice  or  an  instru- 
ment has  difficulty  in  developing  a  very  complete 
sense  of  harmony.  Then  again  much  of  the  music 
he  sings  is  not  harmonically  complete  in  the  voice 
parts,  and  is  only  made  complete  by  the  addition  of 
the  accompaniment.  With  the  meager  harmonic 
sense  that  he  has  been  able  to  develop  by  singing 
part  work  in  the  grades,  the  average  high  school 
student  is  poorly  equipped  on  the  harmonic  side  to 
cope  with  the  music  he  should  study  in  the  high 
school.  Hence  the  piano  must  fill  in  the  gaps  in  his 
harmonic  knowledge  without  diminishing  his  ability 
and  fearlessness  in  using  the  sense  of  time  and  tune 


70  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

and  the  limited  feeling  for  harmony  he  already  pos- 
sesses. 

Most  of  the  selections  having  few  or  no  modula- 
tions, and  having  the  complete  harmony  in  the  voice 
parts,  should  be  sung  unaccompanied  the  first  time. 
The  chorus  should  also  attempt  some  of  the  more 
harmonically  involved  pieces  in  the  same  way  to  de- 
velop the  harmonic  ingenuity  of  the  pupils. 

When  the  chorus  is  singing  a  new  piece  the  skil- 
ful accompanist  with  the  foregoing  in  mind  will 
listen  carefully  to  the  chorus,  ready  to  play  either 
the  parts,  or  the  accompaniment,  or  parts  of  both, 
as  needed.  When  the  singers  show  signs  of  losing 
their  sense  of  tonality  he  will  play  just  enough  to 
reestablish  this;  he  must  use  judgment  and  skill  in 
selecting  from  the  voice  parts  or  accompaniment  just 
what  and  how  much  he  will  play.  When  a  modula- 
tion occurs,  keeping  the  foregoing  in  mind,  he  will 
contribute  a  few  needed  chords  to  help  carry  the 
chorus  into  the  new  key,  and  then,  allowing  the 
chorus  to  carry  itself,  the  accompanist  will  subside 
into  watchful  waiting  again.  The  pianist  must  sup- 
ply only  what  the  pupils  really  lack  in  knowledge, 
not  what  they  lack  in  initiative.  A  large  part  of  the 
pianist's  skill  lies  in  seeing  this  difference.  Just 
enough  piano  must  be  used  to  stimulate  them  to  use 
all  the  power  they  possess,  not  enough  to  make  them 
lazy.  This  is  a  very  difficult  thing  to  do.  It  re- 
quires a  very  skilful  player  and  one  with  judgment 
as  well  as  skill  to  do  it  correctly. 

When  pieces  are  nearing  completion  the  whole 


CHORUS  71 

accompaniment  should  be  played  and  pupils  taught 
to  look  at,  and  read,  the  accompaniment  as  this 
part  of  the  selection  is  very  important,  especially 
in  the  modern  music.  Some  of  the  pieces  should 
have  the  accompaniment  played  as  the  pupils  sing 
them  the  first  time  so  that  the  chorus  may  practice 
reading  parts  and  accompaniment  at  once. 

The  chorus  leader  will  need  to  do  some  plan- 
ning to  keep  his  classes  supplied  with  good  accom- 
panists. A  fine  way  to  develop  them  is  to  organize 
the  piano  students  of  the  school  into  a  piano  club 
and  have  the  members  play  before  each  other.  Some 
pupil  should  be  requested  to  play  a  piano  solo  at 
the  chorus  lesson  occasionally.  Different  pupils 
should  be  given  certain  chorus  selections  to  work  out 
with  their  private  teachers.  As  many  pupils  as  pos- 
sible should  have  a  chance  to  play  for  the  chorus. 
Competitive  trials  should  be  held  for  pianists  to 
take  part  in.  Many  other  ways  will  suggest 
themselves,  the  wise  leader  making  sure  that 
enough  piano  players  are  growing  up  in  his  school 
so  that  when  one  graduates  he  will  not  be  left  help- 
less as  so  often  happens  when  one  pupil  has  been 
allowed  to  monopolize  all  the  chances  to  play  for 
the  chorus. 

CHORUS  CREDITS 

Chorus  work  should  be  credited  the  same  as  any 
other  study.  It  is,  we  must  admit,  something  of  a 
reflection  on  the  quality  of  the  education  we  give 


72  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

the  pupils  in  our  high  schools  that  we  have  to  hold 
out  hopes  of  reward  in  the  shape  of  credits  to  make 
them  work.  Such  a  condition  will  continue  to  exist, 
however,  until  we  have  taught  the  pupil  to  look  at 
his  education  in  the  light  of  an  opportunity  instead 
of  a  task,  and  until  he  comes  to  school  to  get  all 
he  can  and  not  all  he  has  to. 

It  is  obviously  unfair  to  mark  down  a  pupil  with 
a  poorly  developed  sense  of  pitch  when  he  does  the 
best  nature  allows  him  to  do.  It  is  also  unfair  to 
mark  high  a  pupil  because  he  has  a  correct  sense  of 
pitch.  The  fair  way  is  to  mark  each  one  on  the 
effort  he  puts  forth.  Let  the  pupil's  deportment  and 
general  attitude  toward  the  chorus  work  also  be  a 
determining  factor  in  his  mark.  This  would  not  be 
fair  in  other  subjects  that  call  for  individual  skill. 
It  is  perfectly  fair,  however,  in  the  chorus  class, 
which  is  a  community  subject,  since  the  members 
are  so  dependent  upon  each  other  for  a  perfect  re- 
sult. 

Schools  differ  so  much  in  their  ways  of  marking 
that  no  scheme  can  be  given  here.  The  best  and 
simplest  way  is  to  give  but  two  marks,  "Satisfac- 
tory" and  "Unsatisfactory."  The  students  have, 
either  done  their  work  or  they  haven't.  These  two 
marks  should  be  sufficient.  However,  the  chorus 
leader  should  make  his  marks  fair  and  conform  to 
the  marking  scheme  used  by  the  teachers  of  other 
subjects. 

The  following  is  the  plan  used  in  the  Minne- 
apolis high  schools: 


CHORUS  73 

1.    CHORUS 

All  pupils  attending  the  Minneapolis  high  schools 
attend  chorus  classes  as  follows: 

Required — In  the  first  and  second  year,  two 
periods  each  week. 

Optional — In  the  third  and  fourth  years,  one 
period  each  week.  ( 1 )  two  periods  a  week  for  one 
semester  of  each  year,  (2)  two  periods  a  week  for 
both  semesters  of  one  year.  Pupils  who  wish  chorus 
two  periods  a  week  during  all  of  the  third  and  fourth 
years  .will  be  permitted  to  take  it. 

Voice  Test — The  Supervisor  of  Music  will  test 
each  voice  in  the  chorus  twice  each  year.  Pupils 
desiring  more  frequent  tests  may  have  the  same  by 
applying  to  the  Supervisor  of  Music. 

Credits — One  credit  for  the  two  required  years. 
One  credit  for  a  year's  work  in  either  the  third  or 
fourth  year.  These  two  music  credits  may  be  used 
for  graduation  from  any  course. 

MATERIAL 

The  question  of  material  for  the  chorus  is  a 
vital  one.  If  there  is  material  enough  of  the  right 
kind,  the  chorus  will  be  a  success,  when  there  is  a 
good  leader.  If  there  is  not  material  enough,  no 
mafiterhow  fine  the  leading  and  other  conditions, 
the^Krus  will  amount  to  little.  It  is  an  expensive 
thing  to*  furnish  enough  music  to  keep  up  the  inter- 
est in  the  high  school  chorus  work,  and  it  is  only 
possible  where  the  Board  of  Education  buys  the 


74  HIGH  SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

material.  Where  the  pupils  buy  the  music  books, 
it  is  out  of  the  question  to  ask  them  to  purchase 
enough.  Good  material  and  plenty  of  it  of  many 
kinds  should  be  the  motto  of  every  music  supervisor. 
Mrs.  Means  might  have  been  addressing  supervisors 
of  music  when  she  gave  her  celebrated  bit  of  advice, 
"Git  while  yer  gittin;  git  it  good  and  git  a  plenty." 
It  is  a  mistake  to  select  too  easy  music  for  the 
high  school  pupil.  He  is  very  much  grown  up  when 
he  enters  high  school,  or  at  least  he  thinks  he  is, 
and  it  is  just  as  well  to  recognize  and  take  advantage 
of  this  notion  of  his.  Grown-up  music  will  cause 
him  to  work  all  the  harder.  In  music  as  well  as 
anything  else  a  pupil  gets  out  of  it  in  knowledge  and 
enjoyment  just  about  as  much  as  he  puts  into  it  in 
the  way  of  effort,  and  anything  that  will  make  him 
want  to  put  forth  more  effort  is  so  much  gained. 
On  the  other  hand  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that 
music  has  many  sides,  and  that  amusement  is  one 
of  the  important  ones.  Since  pupils  should  be 
trained  for  amusement  as  well  as  work,  many  selec- 
tions of  a  lighter  kind  should  be  used.  UA  bit  of 
nonsense  now  and  then  is  relished,  etc." ;  and  a  bit  of 
well-sung  rag  time  has  started  many  a  lazy  class  on 
the  upward  musical  climb. 

Is'  In  cities  where  there  are  several  high  schools  it 
is  a  good  plan  to  get  different  music  for  each  high 
school.  When  one  school  has  finished  a  book  or 
selection,  it  should  trade  with  another  school.  Thus 
the  library  is  made  several  times  larger  at  no  added 
expense.  Of  course  the  material  will  wear  out  some- 


CHORUS  75 

wJiat  faster  under  this  plan,  but  pupils  should  be 
taught  to  care  for  public  property  even  more  care- 
fully than  they  do  for  their  own. 

The  pupils  should  be  taught  to  turn  the  leaves 
quickly  and  noiselessly.  This  will  keep  the  class 
quiet,  the  music  will  sound  better,  and  the  books 
will  last  far  longer.  Furthermore,  the  pupils  will 
also  learn  to  take  care  of  public  property  in  case 
the  books  belong  to  the  school.  The  best  way  is  to 
grasp  the  edge  of  the  page  or  one  of  the  corners 
with  the  thumb  and  finger. 

VARIETY  OF  MATERIAL 

The  material  should  be  selected  with  a  view  to 
giving  the  pupil  a  well-rounded  education  in  all 
kinds  of  choral  music  during  the  high  school  course. 
There  is  little  that  cannot  be  sung  by  high  school 
pupils  if  the  voices  are  tested  properly  and  watched 
carefully. 

Every  pupil  should  surely  know  one  or  more  of 
the  great  oratorios  like  the  "Messiah,"  "Elijah,"  or 
the  "Creation,"  which  stand  at  the  head  of  the 
choral  forms  of  music.  He  should  both  study  and 
hear  these  given  in  their  entirety.  Next  should  come 
me  great  cantatas  like  "Hiawatha,"  and  lighter  ones 
like  "Swan  and  Skylark,"  "Rose  Maiden,"  and 
"Joan  of  Arc."  There  is  a  wealth  of  these  latter 
to  choose  from.  They  have  beautiful  music  and 
fascinating  stories.  There  are  operas  both  light 
and  grand  which  can  be  studied  by  the  whole  school 


76  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC  TEACHING 

and  given  in  concert  form  by  the  whole  ckss,  or 
given  with  costume  and  action  by  a  smaller  number. 
These  operas  well  repay  study,  but  we  are  limited 
to  a  comparatively  small  number  as  there  are  few 
opera  stories  which  will  bear  very  close  inspection, 
and  the  supervisor  will  wisely  limit  himself  to 
proper  stories  in  selecting  operas  for  student 
presentation.  Some  of  the  greatest  choral  music 
known  is  in  the  form  of  masses.  Pupils  should 
know  something  of  this  form  of  sacred  choral  mu- 
sic, but  unfortunately  the  use  of  these  masses  in 
public  schools  is  liable  to  promote  ill-feeling.  For  a 
similar  reason  the  use  of  the  Messiah  is  not  tactful 
in  a  school  containing  Jewish  children. 

USE  OF  VOICE 

Many  people  question  the  advisability  of  using 
these  great  choral  pieces,  saying  that  the  pupils  will 
strain  their  voices.  Years  ago  it  was  said  that  sing- 
ing Wagner  ruined  the  voices  of  the  singers,  but  such 
was  not  the  case.  Singing  never  harmed  any  voice. 
Yelling  does.  When  Lilli  Lehmann,  Lillian  Nordica, 
and  Jean  de  Reszke  came  along,  the  world  found 
out  that  singing  Wagner  was  perfectly  safe  for  the 
voice.  It  is  not  the  music  that  is  dangerous,  but 
the  way  the  voice  is  used  that  does  the  damage.  If 
pupils  use  their  voices  easily  and  correctly,  they  will 
be  just  as  safe  singing  an  oratorio  as  a  lullaby. 

There  are  a  number  of  oratorios,  operas,  and 
cantatas  published  with  the  chorus  parts  only.  This 


CHORUS  77 

makes  the  music  cheap  but  these  chorus  copies  are 
of  doubtful  value.  One  of  the  principal  reasons 
why  these  compositions  in  their  entirety  are  so  use- 
ful and  interesting  is  that  they  tell  a  more  or  less 
connected  story  both  in  the  words  and  in  the  music. 
The  music  of  the  accompaniment  and  the  words  and 
music  of  the  solos,  duets,  etc.,  are  very  important 
parts  of  the  piece,  and  the  pupils  in  the  chorus  never 
have  a  chance  to  learn  these  if  they  use  only  the 
chorus  copies.  The  solos  and  the  concerted  pieces 
for  the  soloists  should  be  sung  occasionally  by  the 
chorus  so  that  every  one  will  get  an  idea  of  the 
whole  piece.  When  the  concert  is  given,  the  pupils 
will  derive  an  exquisite  pleasure  from  hearing  and 
following  the  score  of  the  music  they  already  know 
as  it  is  sung  by  fine  soloists  and  played  by^the  or- 
chestra instead  of  on  the  piano.  It  is  not  a  wise 
thing  to  purchase  these  chorus  editions  unless  forced 
to  by  circumstances.  The  added  interest  and  edu- 
cation the  chorus  receives  well  repays  the  added  ex- 
pense of  the  regular  vocal  scores.  Also  when  pur- 
chasing these  books  the  buyer  should  be  sure  that 
they  are  bound  very  strongly,  as  there  is  a  great  deal 
of  tvear  and  tear  on  music  books.  Moreover,  a 
book  once  purchased  should  be  a  permanent  addi- 
tion to  the  library  to  be  used  when  desired. 

LIGHTER  MUSIC 

In  addition  to  the  larger  forms  of  choral  music 
spoken  of  above,  there  is  a  vast  amount  of  choral 


78  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

music  in  the  shape  of  detached  choruses  of  all  kinds 
ranging  from  the  big,  heavy  choruses  to  the  light, 
simple  and  humorous  ones.  There  are  also  many 
fine  selections  for  men's  voices  that  are  perfectly 
feasible  for  the  high  school  chorus.  The  altos, 
tenors,  and  basses  can  use  these  to  good  advantage. 
There  are  also  beautiful  choruses  for  women's 
voices.  The  sopranos  and  altos  should  sing  some  of 
these,  the  basses  and  tenors  being  permitted  to  listen. 

"ARRANGED  MUSIC" 

Much  music  specially  arranged  for  high  schools 
has  been  published.  The  better  way,  however,  is 
to  purchase  the  regular  octavo  editions  as  you  will 
then  be  likely  to  get  the  original  and  not  some  pas- 
teurized version.  The  publishing  houses  are  not  to 
blame  for  such  versions.  It  is  the  demand  that  calls 
out  the  product,  and  supervisors  have  been  so  timid 
about  giving  their  pupils  good  strong  music  that 
they  have  created  a  demand  for  simplified  versions. 
In  many  of  the  "arranged"  pieces  the  finest  part  of 
the  music  has  been  left  out.  Years  ago  when  I  was 
a  callow  youth  I  purchased  an  "arranged"  edition 
of  the  "Song  of  the  Vikings."  The  high  school  sang 
it  with  much  joy,  and  I  liked  it  myself.  Later,  hav- 
ing joined  a  choral  society  that  sang  the  original 
of  the  same  song,  I  learned  that  one  of  the  best 
parts  had  been  omitted.  I  left  that  rehearsal,  my 
reformation  sudden  and  complete,  and  gently  placed 
my  edition  in  the  furnace  and  purchased  the  real 


CHORUS  79 

thing.  Pupils  will  like  the  original  editions  much 
better  than  the  arranged  versions  even  if  they  are 
harcfer,  and,  furthermore,  will  not  be  so  apt  to  lose 
faith  in  their  education  later  in  life.  The  immortal 
"Sextette"  from  Lucia  is  seldom  attempted  as  it  is 
sung  by  an  opera  company.  In  school  music  it  mas- 
querades in  various  forms  both  vocal  and  instru- 
mental all  the  way  from  a  solo  to  even  a  quartette. 
How  much  finer  it  is  when  done  by  a  sextette,  chorus, 
and  orchestra,  as  it  was  intended  to  be  sung.  Any 
high  school  can  sing  it  in  the  original  form,  and  it 
is  infinitely  more  effective  than  in  any  "arrange- 
ment" There  are  many  other  horrible  examples, 
but  these  will  suffice.  There  is  no  need  of  using 
any  special  arrangement  of  music  to  have  the  tenor 
part  sung  properly.  The  regular  octavo  edition  can 
be  used  if  the  voices  are  tested  as  outlined  in  the 
chapter  on  testing  voices  in  "Grade  School  Music 
Teaching"  and  the  parts  arranged  as  suggested 
there.  The  tenor  part  will  be  as  good  as  any  other 
part  in  the  average  high  school. 

4 

UNISON  SONGS 

Some  unison  songs  should  be  used.  They  are 
safer  in  the  high  school  than  in  the  upper  grades,  as 
the  voices  are  more  settled  and  have  a  wider  usable 
compass.  Patriotic  selections  should  be  in  the  reper- 
toire of  every  chorus.  School  songs  of  many  sorts 
should  be  sung.  If  they  are  original  in  both  words 
and  tunes,  all  the  better.  Songs  should  be  sung  for 


80  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC  TEACHING 

the  modern  language  classes  and  the  ancient  lan- 
guages as  well.  A  piece  of  ragtime  will  not  be  amiss 
occasionally.  Pupils  who  have  been  brought  up  on 
a  good  class  of  music  will  take  rag  time  as  a  joke 
and  sing  it  once  in  a  while  just  for  fun,  just  the  same 
as  they  will  tell  a  funny  story.  The  supervisor 
who  says  that  rag  time  is  wicked  and  will  have  none 
of  it  will  arouse  in  his  pupils  a  desire  to  sing  it  just 
to  see  him  get  "peeved."  If  he  laughs  about  it  and 
treats  it  as  a  good  joke,  the  rag  time  song  will  as- 
sume its  proper  place  in  the  pupil's  mind.  The  war 
has  shown  us  what  good  unison  songs  sung  by  large 
bodies  of  people  will  do.  We  should  perpetuate 
this  in  our  high  schools  by  using  many  of  the  new 
songs  as  they  appear. 

The  cleverness  of  the  supervisor  shows  nowhere 
better  than  in  his  selection  of  music.  The  amount 
of  available  material  is  so  vast  that  there  is  enough 
to  fit  every  condition  if  the  chorus  leader  will  but 
hunt  for  it.  The  high  school  chorus  leader  in  Maine 
has  a  different  problem  from  the  one  in  California. 
Small-town  conditions  differ  from  those  in  the  large 
city.  The  plan  of  organization  will  make  a  differ- 
ence in  the  selection  of  material.  Many  people  write 
us  asking  suggestions  for  high  school  music  material. 
It  is  very  difficult  to  advise  as  a  stranger  cannot 
know  the  local  conditions. 

The  supervisor  must  also  select  music  that  will 
suit  the  age  and  numbers  of  his  chorus.  A  small 
chorus,  no  matter  how  well-balanced  or  trained, 
should  let  the  Messiah  alone.  It  will  sound  feeble 


CHORUS  81 

with  few  voices  and  the  musical  effect  will  not  be 
good.  The  pupil's  likes  and  dislikes  in  music  should 
be  watched  closely,  especially  when  establishing  mu- 
sic in  a  high  school.  After  the  pupils  have  become 
interested  in  chorus  music  itself,  it  does  not  make 
so  much  difference  as  they  will  find  enjoyment  in  all 
kinds  of  choral  music.  The  pupils  should  be  allowed 
to  help  select  the  music  they  are  going  to  sing,  when- 
ever possible.  And  they  should  be  encouraged  to 
hear  all  the  chorus  music  they  can.  If  there  is  a 
choral  society  available,  they  should  be  urged  to 
attend  the  concerts  and,  if  they  like  a  piece  they  hear, 
the  leader  should  get  it  for  the  school.  When  they 
hear  a  particularly  fine  anthem  sung  by  the  church 
choir,  it  should  be  purchased  for  the  chorus  if  it  is 
not  too  sectarian. 

Some  time  ago  an  interesting  experiment  was 
tried  in  one  of  the  Minneapolis  high  schools.  The 
leader  asked  that  each  pupil  hand  in  an  unsigned 
list  of  his  three  favorite  songs,  those  receiving  the 
highest  number  of  voices  to  be  learned  and  sung  by 
the  choruses.  Not  a  piece  of  ragtime  was  suggested. 
The  three  receiving  the  highest  number  were,  in 
order,  "A  Perfect  Day,"  "Rosary,"  and  "Holy 
City."  Not  a  bad  list  when  you  remember  that  no 
attempt  had  been  made  to  influence  their  selection. 
When  the  selections  were  decided  upon,  the  pupils 
were  asked  to  bring  copies  they  owned  and  use  them 
in  the  school.  Copies  were  brought  in  all  keys.  At 
times  the  sopranos  sang  in  the  high  key;  then  the 
basses  in  the  low;  then  all  in  a  medium  key;  and 


82  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

they  decided  which  was  the  most  suitable  for  each 
song. 

The  chorus  leader  will  think  of  many  interest- 
ing variations  of,  and  additions  to,  the  foregoing 
suggestions  as  to  material.  A  supervisor  must  ac- 
quaint himself  with  the  material  suitable  for  high 
school  music  in  all  its  phases,  a  huge  and  necessary 
task.  He  should  have  a  large  and  constantly  grow- 
ing library  of  music.  Building  up  such  a  library  is 
easy  for  the  one  who  works  in  the  large  town  or 
city  for  he  can  haunt  the  music  stores.  The  super- 
visor in  the  small  town,  however,  has  a  little  harder 
task,  but  he  can  do  a  great  deal  by  mail,  as  any 
store  is  glad  to  send  music  on  approval  to  reliable 
people. 


CHAPTER  3 
GLEE  CLUBS 

There  are  many  activities  in  the  high  school 
that  need  music  to  round  them  out;  there  is  a  large 
and  interesting  class  of  vocal  music  that  does  not 
sound  well  when  sung  by  a  large  chorus;  and  there 
are  in  every  high  school  a  number  of  talented  singers 
who  should  have  special  training.  These  needs  can 
be  met  by  organizing  glee  clubs,  among  both  boys 
and  girls.  These  clubs  should  sing  separately  and 
in  combination. 

SIZE  OF  CLUB 

Each  club  should  be  large  enough  to  give  a 
got)d  body  of  tone  and  not  so  large  as  to  be  cum- 
bersome. Not  more  than  thirty-two  should  belong 
to  either  club.  Some  difficulty  is  usually  encountered 
in  finding  enough  low  voices  among  the  girls  and 
enough  high  voices  among  the  boys.  The  size  of 
each  club  must  be  governed  by  the  number  of  these 
voices  available,  for  the  parts  must  balance  or  the 
music  will  not  be  good.  Second  alto  boys  may  be 
used  to  help  out  the  first  tenor,  but  this  is  usually 
unsatisfactory  as  their  voices  may  change  suddenly 


84  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

and  leave  the  club  unbalanced  in  the  face  of  a  public 
performance.  Furthermore,  the  older  boys  are  not 
always  willing  to  sing  with  "kids." 

Voices  should  be  selected  very  carefully,  and 
only  those  whose  voices  sound/well  together  should 
be  admitted  to  membership.  yThe  glee  club  should 
be  organized  with  a  two-fold  purpose;  the  develop- 
ment of  the  individual  pupil,  and  the  appearance  of 
the  group  before  the  public.^  For  both  reasons  the 
best  possible  organization  should  be  built  up. 

ORGANIZATION 

The  organization  of  a  glee  club  should  be  some- 
thing of  a  ceremony,  and  the  candidates  should  pass 
a  rigid  examination  before  being  admitted.  Of 
course  the  examination  must  be  graduated  to  the 
ability  of  the  pupils  of  the  school.  When  the  glee 
club  is  being  organized  for  the  first  time,  the  ex- 
amination may  be  less  rigid  than  when  the  club  is 
well  established.  It  is  a  mistake  to  make  the  en- 
trance too  easy  even  at  the  beginning,  for  what  is 
easy  is  seldom  prized.  The  club's  public  work  must 
be  pleasing,  or  the  club  will  fall  into  disrepute  and 
die  from  lack  of  support.  It  is  far  better  to  start 
with  a  small  but  effective  organization  than  a  larger 
one  of  poorer  quality. 

Plenty  of  publicity  should  be  given  before  the 
organization  is  undertaken  so  that  every  pupil  in 
the  school  will  know  about  the  club  and  have  his 
mind  made  up  whether  he  will  try  out  or  not.  The 


GLEE    CLUBS 


85 


invitation  should  be  to  all  pupils,  and  no  pupil  should 
be  invited  personally  to  join.  It  is  not  well  for  any- 
one to  get  an  exaggerated  notion  of  his  importance. 
It  should  be  made  plain  to  every  pupil  that  he  can 
get  into  the  glee  club  if  he  can  sing  well  enough, 
is  willing  to  work,  and  if  there  is  a  vacancy. 

Before  the  examination  the  leader  should  pre- 
pare blanks  for  each  voice  part  like  the  following 
sample,  which  is  for  the  first  bass.  With  these 
blanks  an  accurate  record  may  be  kept  for  reference, 
the  best  voices  selected  for  membership,  the  others 
kept  on  the  waiting  list. 


GLEE  CLUB  EXAMINATION  BLANK 


Date,  Jan.  4,  1919 
Part.    First  Bass.    Mark  candidate  from  1  (beet)  to  4  (poorest). 


Name 

Power 

Quality 

Intonation 

Com- 
pass 

Read- 
ing 

General 
Remarks 

Jones,  f  ohn 

1 

3 

'   2 

b-d 

2 

Earnest 

Smith,  James 

2 

1 

1 

S-e 

1 

Lazy 

The  candidates  should  be  asked  to  assemble  and 
seat  themselves  according  to  the  parts  they  have 
been  accustomed  to  singing.  Even  though  the  ex- 
aminer may  know  the  ability  of  the  candidates  per- 
fectly well,  the  examination  should  be  held  just  the 
same  to  eliminate  all  suspicion  of  unfairness. 

The  exercise  outlined  in  the  chapter  on  voice 
testing  in  "Grade  School  Music  Teaching"  should 


86  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

be  used  to  determine  the  first  four  numbers  on  the 
above  blank.  For  the  reading  test  each  pupil  should 
be  asked  to  read  a  piece  of  music  new  to  him  by 
singing  his  part  against  three  other  voices  singing 
the  three  other  parts  of  some  four-part  selection. 
The  last  item  must  be  filled  in  from  general  knowl- 
edge of  the  applicant.  In  testing  for  intonation  the 
leader  should  require  the  applicant  to  begin  his  test 
without  help  from  the  piano  to  test  the  pupil's 
memory  for  pitch.  As  the  pupil  has  doubtless  just 
heard  the  same  pitch  used  by  the  last  applicant,  it 
is  not  usually  too  much  to  ask.  Also  the  pupil 
should  be  allowed  to  sing  the  test  exercise  through 
several  times  to  determine  his  ability  to  stay  on  the 
pitch  in  long  passages.  When  he  starts  on  the 
wrong  pitch  the  correct  pitch  should  be  given  to 
start  him  correctly  and  blown  at  the  end  to  see  how 
true  he  has  remained.  The  piano  may  give  the  pitch, 
but  under  no  circumstances  should  it  or  any  other 
instrument  accompany  the  pupil  during  the  test. 

SELECTION  OF  MEMBERS 

When  all  have  been  tested  and  recorded  as 
above,  it  is  an  easy  thing  to  select  the  best  ones. 
This  should  be  done  by  the  leader  or,  if  the  club  is 
an  old,  well-organized  one,  the  officers  may  assist, 
though  the  leader  must  be  sure  that  these  officers  are 
not  swayed  by  likes  and  dislikes  rather  than  by  the 
ability  of  the  various  candidates. 

Referring    to    the    items    on    the    examination 


GLEE    CLUBS  87 

blanks,  we  see  that  John  Jones  has  a  strong  voice 
of  rather  poor  quality,  reads  pretty  well,  and  is  in 
earnest.  Unfortunately  his  compass  is  limited.  We 
might  overlook  that  defect  but  the  third  item,  intona- 
tion, counts  him  out,  as  no  one  marked  lower  than  1 
in  intonation  should  be  taken  into  a  glee  club.  The 
second  entry,  James  Smith,  while  he  has  a  lighter 
voice,  is  good  in  other  respects.  But  he  is  lazy. 
He  may  be  taken  into  the  club  on  probation.  If 
he  can  be  aroused  to  do  the  work,  he  may  make  a 
good  member.  If  he  cannot  be  aroused  to  work 
he  should  be  dropped  at  the  end  of  the  probation 
period. 

In  selecting  the  girls  for  the  second  soprano 
part,  only  those  should  be  taken  who  can  sing  so- 
prano when  the  clubs  unite.  If  possible,  the  same 
care  should  be  taken  with  the  second  tenor  boys, 
though  this  will  be  more  difficult  owing  to  the  paucity 

of  tenors  in  the  average  high  school. 

f 

PROBATION 

New  members  should  be  taken  into  the  club  on 
six  weeks'  probation.  No  matter  how  good  a  voice 
a  pupil  has  or  how  good  an  examination  he  passes, 
his  voice  may  not  'harmonize  with  the  others,  or  he 
may  not  do  good  team  work  in  other  ways.  At  the 
end  of  the  six  weeks  the  leader  will  be  able  to  de- 
termine whether  the  pupil  will  do  or  not,  and  the 
candidate  may  then  become  a  member  for  a  year, 
or  be  dropped,  as  his  record  warrants.  If  his  voice 


88  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

changes  during  the  year,  and  the  part  to  which  he 
changes,  is  already  full,  he  must  drop  out.  At  the 
beginning  of  each  year  another  examination  should 
be  held,  and  if  new  candidates  are  found  that  can 
sing  better  than  the  old  members,  these  new  ones 
should  replace  the  old.  This  will  make  for  the 
efficiency  of  the  club,  as  the  members  will  be  more 
likely  to  work  and  improve  if  they  know  they  must 
pass  an  examination  to  hold  their  places  at  the  end 
of  the  year. 

BALANCE  OF  PARTS 

Great  care  should  be  taken  to  balance  the  parts 
when  organizing  a  glee  club.  The  parts  should  bal- 
ance as  to  numbers  if  possible.  They  must  certainly 
balance  as  to  power.  It  will  sometimes  be  found 
that  the  outside  parts  are  not  strong  enough  when 
the  numbers  are  equal.  When  this  happens,  more 
pupils  should  be  placed  on  the  outside  parts.  For 
example,  if  the  number  in  the  glee  club  is  thirty, 
each  outside  part  may  number  eight,  and  each  in- 
side part,  seven. 

Each  member  of  a  glee  club  should  be  an  inde- 
pendent singer,  able  to  carry  his  part  correctly  alone 
against  the  other  voices.  A  fine  way  to  bring  this 
to  pass  is  to  organize  the  club  into  quartettes.  These 
quartettes  should  practice  together,  and  each  one 
should  have  a  leader.  If  the.  parts  do  not  balance 
in  numbers  as  many  quartettes  as  possible  should  be 
organized  and  remaining  members  placed  in  quint- 


GLEE    CLUBS  89 

ettes  and  sextettes.  If  a  pupil  is  able  to  sing  his 
part  in  a  quartette,  he  will  be  a  valuable  member 
of  the  club,  but  if  he  has  to  be  carried  by  others  he 
should  be  dropped.  When  each  member  of  the  club 
is  an  independent  quartette  singer,  the  club  will  be 
able  to  sing  well  even  when  some  are  unavoidably 
absent. 

REPERTOIRE 

Each  glee  club  should  have  a  repertoire  of  songs 
and  be  ready  to  appear  on  programs  for  the  school 
or  community  at  any  time.  The  clubs  should  unite 
occasionally  and  sing  music  for  a  mixed  chorus. 

Serena/ling  is  very  interesting  to  young  people 
and  rightl^  conducted  is  a  very  pretty  custom.  The 
possibility'  of  singing  a  number  of  pleasing  selec- 
tions under  the  windows  of  fair  friends,  prominent 
citizen^  or  the  shut-in-sick,  opens  up  a  field  of  en- 
deavorthat  is  well  worth  the  time  spent  upon  it. 

The  glee  clubs  should  assist  at  the  Various  com- 
munity "sings"  and  get  up  a  few  of  their  own.  A 
portable  outfit  consisting  of  a  lantern,  with  slides 
showing  the  words  of  the  songs,  a  sheet,  ropes,  and 
necessary  poles  can  be  easily  secured.  This  outfit 
can  be  used  either  indoors  or  out.  With  this  outfit 
and  with  the  glee  clubs  as  a  nucleus  most  interesting 
informal  "sings"  can  be  held  in  the  streets  and  parks 
in  warm  weather.  The  clubs  may  sing  a  few  num- 
bers to  attract  a  crowd,  which  may  then  be  asked  to 
join  in  singing  a  number  of  familiar  selections.  As 


90  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

it  will  be  too  much  to  ask  the  whole  club  to  assist 
at  all  these  community  sings,  the  leader  may  divide 
his  forces  into  smaller  units  and  thus  multiply  the 
good  the  clubs  can  do. 

The  glee  clubs  should  sing  in  the  prisons,  hos- 
pitals, and  other  public  institutions  whenever  they 
are  called  upon.  It  is  especially  fine  for  these  young 
people  to  sing  for  the  unfortunate. 

The  members  of  the  glee  clubs  should  feel  that 
their  superior  ability  imposes  upon  them  the  respon- 
sibility of  assisting  in  building  up  the  chorus  work 
of  the  school.  Pupils  who  get  into  the  glee  clubs 
are  very  apt  to  acquire  the  idea  that  they  are  a 
sort  of  musical  aristocracy  and  that  chorus  singing 
is  a  trifle  beneath  them.  This  idea  should  never  be 
allowed  to  take  root.  The  best  way  to  eliminate 
it  is  to  set  the  glee  club  members  some  task  in  the 
regular  chorus  work  of  the  school  such  as  assisting 
those  pupils  who  do  not  read  music  well. 

The  glee  clubs  should  be  social  as  well  as  mu- 
sical organizations.  Parties,  sleigh  rides,  and  social 
occasions  of  various  kinds  should  be  organized  oc- 
casionally, since  these  all  help  to  make  for  interest 
and  tend  to  build  up  the  coherence  and  effectiveness 
of  the  clubs. 

In  addition  to  making  each  a  regular  class,  it  is 
a  good  plan  to  organize  each  club  in  some  way,  the 
club  having  a  constitution  and  by-laws  and  regularly 
elected  officers.  The  officers  of  the  club  will  be 
able  to  assist  the  leader  and  get  valuable  executive 
experience  thereby. 


GLEE    CLUBS  91 

MATERIAL 

There  is  a  wealth  of  material  available  for  both 
clubs  to  sing  either  separately  or  together.  The 
success  of  the  clubs  depends  very  largely  on  the 
leader's  ability  to  select  material  that  is  interesting, 
suited  to  the  ability  of  the  students,  and  fits  his 
particular  club's  conditions.  All  kinds  of  music 
should  be  included  in  the  repertoire,  as  the  educa- 
tion of  the  pupils  and  the  pleasure  of  the  audiences 
must  both  be  consulted.  Serious  and  frivolous, 
^  light  and  somber  music  should  all  be  represented. 
Original  compositions  and  original  words  set  to  old 
tunes  to  fit  local  needs  should  be  numbered  among 
the  selections. 

Anything  written  for  women's  voices  may  be 
used  by  the  girls'  glee  club,  but  there  is  sometimes 
trouble  in  finding  music  for  the  boys.  There  is  a 
wealth  of  music  for  men's  voices  but  much  of  it 
is  out  of  the  range  of  boys'  voices.  There  are  a 
number  of  books  compiled  with  the  music  within  a 
limited  compass  and  a  little  searching  will  reveal 
much  that  is  usable.  In  choosing  material  for  both 
clubs  to  sing  together,  the  coach  should  select  the 
lighter  compositions  and  leave  ~th~iT~tfeavier  pieces 
to  the  big  chorus.  A  number  of  the  lighter  cantatas 
for  men's  voices,  for  women's  voices,  and  for  mixed 
voices  with  soloists  and  orchestra  may  be  used. 
Unison  songs  sung  by  either  club  are  very  effective 
with  an  orchestra  or  an  organ  accompaniment.  The 
best  thing  that  can  be  done  is  for  both  clubs  to  unite 
with  the  orchestra  and  give  an  opera. 


92  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

GLEE  CLUBS  REGULAR  CLASSES 

The  glee  clubs  should  rank  as  regular  classes 
of  the  school,  should  have  the  same  standing,  be 
conducted  in  the  same  business-like  manner,  and  re- 
hearse during  school  hours.  Many  glee  club  re- 
hearsals, especially  of  operas,  degenerate  into  mere 
social  occasions.  There  is  no  surer  way  to  kill  a 
glee  club  than  to  allow  this  to  happen.  Pupils  like 
rehearsals  to  be  business-like,  get  somewhere,  and 
have  some  reason  for  being  held.  Work  should  be 
assigned  for  home  study.  Furthermore,  credit 
should  be  allowed  and  marks  given  each  month  or 
semester  the  same  as  in  any  other  subject. 

It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  find  a  period  in  the 
school  day  that  will  accommodate  all  the  members, 
but  a  high  school  program  is  a  very  flexible  thing 
and  such  a  period  can  usually  be  found.  If  nothing 
better  can  be  arranged,  the  clubs  may  meet  after 
school,  but  this  is  not  a  very  good  plan,  as  there 
are  so  many  interruptions. 

Like  many  other  classes,  glee  club  rehearsals 
are  sometimes  slow  and  pointless.  This  should 
never  happen.  The  leader  should  have  a  well- 
defined  plan  of  rehearsal  and  then  stick  to  it.  This 
will  give  a  business-like  character  to  the  rehearsal 
that  will  impress  the  pupils,  make  them  more  inter- 
ested, and  make  them  work  harder. 

REHEARSAL  PLAN 

The  following  general  rehearsal  plan  is  sug- 
gested. This  should  be  placed  on  the  board  before 


GLEE    CLUBS  93 

the  time  of  rehearsal  so  that  no  time  may  be  wasted 
in  telling  the  members  what  to  do.  This  plan  will 
of  course  vary  with  the  work  the  club  is  doing. 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 V 

i  8 

9 

The  first  group  of  three  should  be  selections 
sung  from  memory,  selections  that  the  pupils  have 
learned  at  previous  rehearsals.  These  should  be 
sung  with  the  best  expression  of  which  the  club  is 
capable.  The  leader  may  either  use  the  baton  or 
not,  as  he  sees  fit.  The  three  middle  numbers  should 
be  those  that  the  pupils  have  been  memorizing 
since  the  last  lesson.  No  memorizing  should  be 
done  at  the  rehearsals.  The  whole  time  should  be 
used  to  polish  up  the  music.  The  last  three  num- 
bers are  selections  that  should  be  memorized  be- 
fore the  next  rehearsal.  If  the  pupils  are  good 
readers,  it  will  not  be  necessary  to  go  over  the  new 
music  with  them  before  they  are  asked  to  learn  it. 

The  club  members  should  have  regular  places 
to  stand  and  sit  during  public  performances,  and 
during  the  first  three  numbers  of  the  foregoing  pro- 
gram they  should  be  in  their  regular  places.  It  is 


94  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

very  important  that  the  members  become  accus- 
tomed to  singing  with  their  neighbors,  so  as  to  feel 
at  home  when  performing  in  public.  They  should 
not  be  too  near  together.  A  good  rule  is  to  have 
them  stand  or  sit  far  enough  apart  so  that  the  mem- 
ber's outstretched  hand  will  touch  his  neighbor's 
shoulder.  Singers  must  be  able  to  hear  themselves 
and  each  other  to  keep  in  tune,  and  to  do  this  well 
there  must  be  spaces  between  where  the  voices  may 
resonate.  Quartettes  often  make  the  mistake  of 
standing  too  near  together. 

During  the  rehearsal  of  the  second  and  third 
groups  of  the  foregoing  program  the  pupils  should 
practice  by  quartettes.  If  enough  rooms  are  avail- 
able, each  group  should  go  into  a  room  by  itself 
and  practice,  the  quartette  leader  taking  charge. 
The  club  leader  may  visit  each  group  in  turn.  If 
the  club  meets  in  a  large  room  or  an  auditorium, 
each  quartette  may  practice  in  a  different  section  of 
the  room,  and  the  leader  may  listen  to  each  one  in 
turn.  Another  plan  is  to  seat  the  club  by  quartettes. 
The  leader  may  call  upon  each  quartette  by  number 
and  in  any  order.  This  plan  puts  each  pupil  upon  his 
own  responsibility,  makes  good  readers  of  the  mem- 
bers, and  gives  the  leader  a  chance  to  mark  each 
pupil  on  his  work.  The  quartettes,  when  they  sing, 
may  either  remain  seated,  stand  in  their  places,  or 
come  to  the  front  of  the  room.  The  quartette  that 
is  to  follow  should  be  in  place  while  the  preceding 
one  is  singing,  and  without  help  from  the  leader, 
without  losing  a  beat,  sing  as  soon  as  the  preceding 


GLEE    CLUBS  95 

quartette  has  finished.  This,  it  will  be  seen,  is  man- 
aged just  as  the  individual  part  singing  is  managed 
in  the  upper  grades.  (See  "Grade  School  Music 
Teaching.")  When  a  quartette  sings  its  passage 
correctly,  the  whole  club  should  sing  it  over  after 
them  to  convince  the  leader  that  the  passage  has 
been  sung  correctly.  The  quartettes  may  be  num- 
bered down  from  one,  the  best,  and  the  members 
may  move  up  to  the  head  quartette  as  they  show 
Ability.  The  reward  may  come  in  various  forms. 
The  first  quartette  may  be  the  solo  quartette  and 
fill  some  of  the  best  engagements  that  come  to  the 
club.  A  year  ago  one  first  quartette  of  boys  in  one 
of  the  Minneapolis  high  schools  did  a  great  deal  of 
semi-professional  singing. 


The  leader  may  use  the  piano  or  not  as  he 
pleases  during  rehearsals,  but  if  he  is  wise  he  will 
insist  that  the  music  be  so  well  learned  that  the 
piano  will  not  be  needed.  With  music  so  learned, 
the  piano  is  an  addition  and  an  accompaniment,  not 
a  bolster. 

OPERAS 

Giving  a  light  opera  or  one  of  the  easier  grand 
operas  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  valuable 
activities  possible  for  the  glee  clubs  and  orchestra. 
Pupils  like  it,  the  public  likes  it,  and  those  taking 
part  get  a  training  in  music,  dramatic  expression, 


96  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

and  poise  that  no  other  school  activity  gives  in  a 
similar  measure.  A  famous  high  school  principal 
once  assembled  his  teachers  and  said,  "I  am  going 
to  take  the  members  of  the  two  glee  clubs  and  the 
orchestra  (nearly  a  hundred  pupils  in  all)  from  their 
regular  classes  three  periods  daily,  two  days  a  week 
for  three  weeks  to  rehearse  'The  Chimes  of  Nor- 
mandy'. .  You  teachers  are  to  excuse  these  pupils 
from  their  classes  and  you  are  not  to  compel  them 
to  make  up  the  work  they  have  missed.  I  do  not 
do  this  to  have  them  learn  the  opera,  but  because 
I  am  convinced  that  they  are  getting  more  valuable 
training  in  the  opera  company  than  you  are  giving 
them  in  your  classes."  These  were  amazing  words, 
but  every  supervisor  of  music  knows  they  are  true 
when  the  opera  rehearsals  are  handled  as  they 
should  be.  This  was  the  first  educator  that  I  ever 
heard  speak  so  forcibly  in  support  of  music.  These 
pupils  gave  a  stunning  performance;  they  enjoyed 
it  as  did  the  audience  that  filled  every  available 
seat;  and  a  goodly  sum  was  netted  for  the  school 
treasury. 

Rehearsals  for  an  opera  must  be  properly  con- 
ducted or  they  will  waste  an  enormous  amount  of 
time.  The  music  and  the  Action  should  be  learned 
together.  If  this  is  done,  the  action  will  be  smooth 
and  authoritative  instead  of  appearing  like  an  after- 
thought, as  it  so  often  does  in  amateur  perform- 
ances.  It  must  be  borne  in  mind,  however,  that  it 
is  not  only  impossible  to  give  a  performance  that  ap- 
proaches the  perfection  of  detail  that  the  profes- 


GLEE    CLUBS  97 

sional  company  achieves  but  it  is  not  desirable,  as  it 
takes  an  enormous  amount  of  time  and  is  apt  to 
cause  the  pupils  to  lose  the  best  part  of  the  training. 
In  the  professional  company  every  move  and  expres- 
sion is  carefully  thought  out  by  the  leader,  nothing 
being  left  to  the  ingenuity  and  individuality  of  the 
performer.  While  this  results  in  a  better  perform- 
ance, in  the  glee  clubs  the  aim  is  to  train  the  pupil's 
imagination  and  ingenuity  as  well  as  to  give  a  good 
show. 

The  leader  should  give  the  main  positions  of 
the  chorus  and  principals,  and  then  allow  them  to 
work  out  the  action  to  suit  the  words  they  are  sing- 
ing or  saying.  This  will  result  in  a  much  more  in- 
telligent action  from  all.  It  will  also  give  an  ap- 
pearance of  naturalness  to  the  action  that  the  pro- 
fessional company  often  lacks. 

The  inexperienced  leader  should  send  to  some 
music  library  like  "Tarns"  in  New  York  City  and 
rent  the  "stage  manager's  prompt  book."  This 
gives  the  movements,  positions,  and  costuming.  He 
should  memorize  this  book  before  the  first  rehearsal. 
Chorus  and  principals  should  be  in  place  either  on 
the  stage  or  in  the  rehearsal-room  and  learn  the 
positions  and  movements  at  the  same  time  they  are 
learning  the  music.  Each  pupil  should  have  a  book 
so  that  he  may  move  freely  and  take  the  necessary 
positions.  When  the  positions  and  music  of  sev- 
eral numbers  have  been  rehearsed,  the  pupils  should 
be  told  to  memorize  both  before  the  next  rehearsal. 
The  positions  should  be  marked  in  each  book.  The 


98  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

pupils  should  also  be  told  to  think  out  the  most 
appropriate  action  before  the  next  rehearsal,  and 
at  the  second  rehearsal  this  action  should  be  de- 
cided upon,  written  down  in  the  books,  and  always 
performed  in  just  that  way  for  that  part  of  the 
opera.  Another  section  should  be  taken  at  the 
second  rehearsal  and  treated  in  the  same  way,  and 
so  on  until  the  whole  opera  is  learned.  It  is  not 
always  a  good  plan  to  take  the  opera  just  as  it 
comes,  as  there  are  likely  to  be  parts  like  the  finales 
of  the  acts  that  require  more  rehearsing  than  the 
rest  of  the  opera.  These  parts  should  be  learned 
during  the  first  rehearsals. 

The  principals  should  always  be  present  at  the 
chorus  rehearsals  but  they  should  not  take  the  time 
of  the  chorus  to  rehearse  their  parts  unless  they  sing 
with  the  chorus.  The  solo  parts  and  concerted  num- 
bers with  soloists  only,  should  be  worked  out  at  prin- 
cipals' rehearsals.  I  am  perfectly  aware  that  this 
will  cause  the  pupils  to  miss  a  lot  of  fun  but  it  will 
save  a  good  deal  of  time.  After  all  fun  is  not  the 
only  consideration. 

The  pupils  must  learn  to  watch  the  baton  very 
carefully  from  the  very  first  and  learn  the  music  in 
exact  time.  Since  inability  to  watch  a  number  of 
things  at  the  same  time  brings  many  amateur  com- 
panies to  grief,  the  members  must  be  trained  to  do 
this  from  the  very  start. 

The  leader  must  be  ready  to  correct  the  action 
of  the  pupils  at  any  time.  This  means  that  he  must 
remember  all  the  movements  and  positions  and  not 


GLEE    CLUBS  99 

change  them  after  they  have  been  decided  upon.  A 
poor  position  or  movement  well  done  is  far  better 
than  a  good  one  poorly  or  hesitatingly  performed. 
Most  amateur  leaders,  unable  to  visualize  the  stage 
action  in  advance,  grope  their  way  along,  making 
up  the  action  as  the  company  rehearses.  This  makes 
the  pupils  muddy-minded,  hesitating  in  their  action, 
and  wastes  an  enormous  amount  of  time.  The 
Nleader  might  with  profit  adopt  one  of  the  devices 
of  the  professional  stage  manager  and  make  a  minia- 
ture stage  of  cardboard  and  figure  out  the  positions 
and  movements  with  dolls. 

It  is  often  objected  that  giving  an  opera  turns 
the  pupils'  heads,  makes  them  stage  struck,  and 
neglectful  of  their  other  lessons.  This  is  sometimes 
true,  but  it  is  not  necessary,  the  clever  leader  see- 
ing to  it  that  this  danger  is  reduced  to  the  minimum. 
As  singers  are  very  prone  to  jealousy,  it  is  often 
difficult  to  select  the  principals  for  an  opera.  The 
leader  should  minimize  this  danger  as  much  as  pos- 
sible. The  best  way  to  do  this  and  to  select  the 
principals  at  the  same  time  is  to  ask  all  the  members 
who  wish  to  try  for  the  principal  parts  to  learn 
the  part  they  think  they  are  best  fitted  for,  and 
then  hold  a  competitive  trial  with  all  members  of 
the  clubs  present.  The  one  who  receives  the  highest 
number  of  votes  (the  leader  of  course  reserving  the 
right  to  change  the  results  of  the  election  when  it 
is  glaringly  at  fault)  should  be  considered  the  one 
best  fitted  to  sing  the  part,  the  next  best  one  to  be 
considered  the  understudy,  ready  to  sing  the  part 


100  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

if  anything  happens  to  the  principal  performer. 
Many  an  amateur  opera  performance  has  been 
crippled  by  the  sudden  illness  of  one  of  the  per- 
formers with  no  one  ready  to  take  his  place. 

CREDITS 

Members  of  the  glee  clubs  should  receive  credit 
for  their  work  the  same  as  they  do  in  other  studies 
and  in  the  same  proportion.  The  following  system 
is  in  use  in  Minneapolis  and  has  worked  well  for 
a  number  of  years. 

1.  GLEE  CLUB — A  girls'  glee  club  will  be  or- 
ganized in  each  high  school  with  not  less  than  six- 
teen nor  more  than  thirty-two  members. 

A  boys'  glee  club  will  be  organized  in  each  high 
school  with  not  less  than  sixteen  nor  more  than 
thirty-two  members. 

Requirements — Members  must  ( 1 )  pass  an  ex- 
amination in  voice  and  musical  ability,  (2)  attend 
one  ninety-minute  or  two  forty-five  minute  rehearsals 
a  week,  (3)  prepare  work  outside  of  rehearsals  not 
to  exceed  three  forty-five-minute  periods  a  week, 
(4)  sing,  when  requested,  at  any  entertainment  given 
by  the  school  authorities. 

Credits — One  credit  will  be  given  for  one  year's 
work.  Four  credits  will  be  given  for  four  years' 
work. 

The  membership  of  each  club  is  limited  to  thirty- 
two  and  the  voices  are  chosen  to  balance  as  to  power 
and  if  possible  as  to  numbers.  When  there  are  not 


GLEE    CLUBS  101 

enough  tenors  to  make  a  well  balanced  club  with 
thirty-two  members  the  number  is  reduced  until  the 
parts  do  balance.  This  is  more  important  than  a 
full  membership,  for  if  the  parts  do  not  balance 
the  music  will  never  be  good.  Three  weeks  before 
the  end  of  a  semester  a  try-out  is  advertised  and  all 
who  desire  to  take  the  examination  for  the  glee 
slubs  assemble.  The  examinations  which  are  search- 
ing, tend  to  discourage  all  but  the  most  gifted.  All 
members  are  Examined  once  each  semester  to  see 
if  their  voices  have  changed.  If  they  have,  the 
voices  are  rearranged  as  to  parts.  New  members 
are  taken  for  six  weeks.  If  at  the  end  of  the  trial 
period  they  make  good  they  are  accepted  for  a  year 
so  that  they  may  earn  their  full  credit.  At  the  end 
of  a  year  they  take  another  examination  to  see  if 
they  are  better  than  new  applicants. 

Any  member  may  be  dropped  for  cause  at  any 
time,  but  the  pernicious  practice  of  dropping  pupils 
from  the  glee  clubs  when  they  are  down  in  other  sub- 
jects is  not  in  force  in  Minneapolis. 

When  the  glee  clubs  were  first  formed  the  pu- 
pils did  not  respond  very  well,  as  they  waited  to  be 
asked.  Gradually  the  idea  was  drilled  into  them 
that  the  glee  club  was  an  organization  that  one  could 
join  if  he  were  good  enough  and  not  if  he  were  teased 
enough.  Now  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  for  a  hun- 
dred to  apply  for  examination  when  there  are  not 
more  than  ten  vacancies.  This  shows  a  healthy 
spirit,  and  the  long  waiting  lists  make  the  members 
who  are  accepted  feel  the  need  of  making  good. 


102  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

Whenever  there  is  a  vacancy,  one  of  the  pupils  from 
the  waiting  list  is  transferred  to  the  club. 

It  will  be  noticed  in  the  foregoing  bulletin  that 
outside  work  is  given  that  requires  three  forty-five 
minute  periods  weekly  in  addition  to  the  two  re- 
hearsals. This  outside  work  may  take  the  form  of 
rehearsals  if  enough  notice  ,is  given.  All  members 
are  required  to  appear  on  programs  whenever  called 
upon  by  the  school  authorities.  Those  who  fail  in 
this  without  the  very  best  of  excuses  are  dropped 
at  once.  This  is  the  way  they  help  pay  for  their 
training.  If  they  are  not  willing  to  appear,  they  are 
not  allowed  to  partake  of  the  benefits  of  the  train- 
ing. 

Like  all  such  organizations,  glee  clubs  have  their 
ups  and  downs.  While  it  is  sometimes  discouraging 
to  the  leader  to  see  the  best  voices  graduate,  there 
are  usually  others  to  take  their  places.  In  brief,  the 
result  of  this  training  is  that  there  is  in  each 
high  school  a  well-trained  body  of  sixty-four  singers 
receiving  a  training  in  music  and  public  spirit.  All 
the  while  their  talents  are  being  developed  and  kept 
in  readiness  for  public  use. 


CHAPTER  4 
k         HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS 

THE  high*  school  orchestra  is  a  very  important 
organization  both  on  account  of  its  effect  upon  the 
players  themselves  and  on  account  of  its  relation 
to  the  other  departments  of  the  school  and  the  com- 
munity. If  there  is  any  one  thing  that  will  interest 
a  pupil  more  than  another,  give  him  means  of  en- 
joyment, and  keep  him  (or  her)  out  of  mischief 
while  growing  up,  it  is  playing  in  an  orchestra.  The 
orchestra  is  a  wonderfully  sociable  institution,  and 
can  be  made  to  furnish  a  lot  of  pleasure  and  much 
hard  joyous  work.  We  all  know  the  old  adage  con- 
cerning mischief  and  idle  hands. 

Any  pupil  who  plays  one  of  the  orchestral  in- 
struments should  be  in  the  orchestra,  as  he  not  only 
will  receive  a  fine  musical  education  but  learn  team 
work  of  the  most  exacting  description,  and  get  a 
good  lesson  in  public  spirit  by  assisting  at  many 
school  functions.  Music  should  teach  unselfishness. 
The  orchestra  leader  is  able  to  teach  this  necessary 
lesson  in  a  very  concrete  form. 

VOCATIONAL  TRAINING 

There  is  also  the  vocational  side  to  consider. 
While  a  teacher  should  be  chary  about  advising  a 


104  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC   TEACHING 

high  school  pupil  to  follow  music  as  a  profession,  it 
is  perfectly  proper  to  tell  him  that  he  can  earn 
money  with  his  music  in  addition  to  doing  his  other 
life  work.  It  is  well  for  everyone  to  have  an  avoca- 
tion as  well  as  a  vocation,  to  learn  amusement  as 
well  as  work.  "It  is  a  poor  fiddle  that  has  but  one 
string."  If  this  recreational  side  of  his  life  can  be 
made  remunerative  as  well  as  pleasurable,  all  the 
better. 

The  high  school  orchestra  should  give  the  pu- 
pil a  training  that  will  partially,  if  not  wholly,  fit 
him  to  do  the  various  things  demanded  of  the  rou- 
tine orchestra  player.  He  should  learn  to  read  mu- 
sic rapidly  and  accurately  both  from  the  printed 
sheet  and  from  manuscript;  to  follow  the  leader's 
baton  in  every  way;  to  hear  all  the  other  instru- 
ments; to  play  his  own  instrument  well;  to  play  all 
kinds  of  music;  to  accompany  solo  instruments  and 
singers;  to  play  at  dances;  in  short,  to  get  at  least 
a  start  in  all  the  things  a  professional  orchestra 
player  is  called  upon  to  do.  While  it  is  of  course 
impossible  to  turn  out  symphony  players  during  the 
four  high  school  years,  they  can  at  least  get  a  little 
taste  of  the  difficult  art  of  orchestral  routine. 

The  leader  should  keep  two  objects  in  mind  when 
planning  work  for  the  high  school  orchestra,  the 
education  of  the  pupils  and  assisting  the  other  ac- 
tivities of  the  school. 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS      105 
ORGANIZATION 

The  best  way  to  organize  a  high  school  orchestra 
is  to  gather  up  all  the  available  players,  begin  with 
these  as  a  foundation,  and  build  up.  Fortunately 
>almost  any  combination  of  instruments  sounds  well, 
and  to  fill  up  there  is  the  ever  present,  ever  faithful, 
ever  helpful  piano.  This  like  every  other  helpful 
thing  must  be  used  with  discretion  or  it  will  prove 
more  of  a  hindrance  than  a  help. 

Pupils  often  object  to  playing  the  less  important 
instruments.  They  usually  dislike  to  play  second 
violin.  This  feeling  is  so  prevalent  that  it  has  grown 
into  an  adage,  and  the  expression  "playing  second 
fiddle"  has  become  a  term  of  reproach.  All  the 
violin  players  should  learn  to  play  both  first  and 
second  parts.  The  discipline  of  the  orchestra  should 
be  so  well  administered  that  each  pupil  will  learn 
to  look  upon  all  parts  as  of  importance  and  learn 
to  play  the  part  to  which  he  may  be  assigned  for  the 
good  of  the  whole  organization.  This  is  a  fine  les- 
son in  cooperation  and  unselfishness. 

The  building  up  of  a  high  school  orchestra  is 
a  matter  of  tact,  forethought,  and  hard  work  on 
the  part  of  the  leader,  and  one  of  his  hardest  prob- 
lems is  securing  a  variety  of  instruments. 

The  violin  is  the  most  popular  of  the  orchestral 
instruments,  and  it  usually  predominates.  The  su- 
pervisor will  have  to  use  tact  in  weaning 
his  pupils  from  the  omnipresent  violin.  He 
should  explain  the  capacities  and  uses  of  all  the 


106  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

instruments  of  the  modern  orchestra  to  the  pupils 
of  the  grade  schools.  He  should  tell  them  that  if 
a  violinist  wants  to  play  professionally  he  is  com- 
pelled to  compete  with  hordes  of  other  violin  play- 
ers, while  if  an  orchestra  leader  wants  an  oboe 
player  he  has  to  comb  the  country  to  find  one.  Some 
of  the  violin  players  can  be  induced  to  change  to  one 
of  the  other  stringed  instruments.  Some  of  them 
can  be  induced  to  re-string  their  violins  and  play  the 
viola  part,  though  this  is  a  makeshift.  Instruments 
of  the  less  popular  kind  should  be  purchased  by  the 
school  and  loaned  to  talented  pupils.  This  work 
with  the  less  popular  instruments  should  begin  in 
the  fourth  or  fifth  grade.  The  supervisor  will  do 
well  to  enlist  the  assistance  of  the  principals  and 
teachers  of  the  grade  schools  in  the  campaign  for 
variety  of  instruments. 

MINNEAPOLIS   PLAN 

The  plan  we  are  using  in  Minneapolis  works 
very  well.  The  Board  of  Education  will  send  an 
expert  orchestra  leader  to  lead  a  grade  school  or- 
chestra once  in  two  weeks  under  the  following  con- 
ditions. The  orchestra  must  contain  six  different 
instruments  of  the  symphony  orchestra.  Drums 
and  piano  are  not  counted.  A  musical  grade  teacher 
must  take  charge  of  the  orchestra,  be  present  when 
the  professional  leader  is  conducting  the  rehearsal, 
and  conduct  the  orchestra  rehearsals  at  other  times. 
Whenever  the  instrumentation  is  not  up  to  the 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS       107 

required  number,  the  leader  is  not  allowed  to  go 
to  the  school  and  the  orchestra  is  either  dropped 
or  the  pupils  have  to  pay  for  their  own  leader. 

FREE  LESSONS 

N 

In  a  number  of  towns  the  Board  of  Education 
employs  teachers  who  devote  their  whole  time  to 
teaching  public  school  pupils  to  play  orchestral  in- 
struments in  classes.  This  instruction  is  free  as  in 
other  branches.  In  many  cases  instruments  are  pur- 
chased and  loaned  to  pupils  for  as  long  as  they  wish 
to  study,  or  until  they  are  able  to  buy  their  own. 
This  is  a  fine  step  in  advance  and  one  that  other  com- 
munities would  do  well  to  emulate. 

SIZE  OF  ORCHESTRA 

As  many  as  possible  should  be  in  the  orchestra, 
but  unless  the  pupils  are  very  fine  players  there 
should  not  be  too  many  in  one  orchestra.  If  there 
are  too  many  players  they  cannot  receive  the  neces- 
sary personal  attention  from  the  leader.  In  any 
high  school  where  the  public  performance  side  of 
education  is  recognized,  the  orchestra  is  called  upon 
so  frequently  that  it  cannot  give  sufficient  prepara- 
tion to  the  music  for  all  the  public  occasions.  Two 
orchestras  would  be  able  to  do  the  work  and  do  it 
better  than  if  one  tried  to  do  it  all. 

TWO  ORCHESTRAS 

There  are  several  ways  to  organize  two  or- 
chestras. One  way  is  to  divide  the  players  accord- 


108  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

ing  to  ability  into  first  and  second  orchestras.  There 
are  a  number  of  good  points  in  this  plan,  but  while 
it  may  be  better  for  the  music  and  may  furnish  an 
incentive  for  the  poorer  player  to  work  up  into  a 
better  orchestra,  it  ignores  one  very  potent  feeling 
on  the  part  of  the  pupils  who  are  in  the  second  or- 
chestra. They  feel  that  they  are  nothing  but  scrubs 
anyway;  and  so  they  ask  themselves,  why  work? 
This  feeling  is  also  rife  among  the  pupils  of  the 
school  and  they  are  apt  to  point  it  out  to  the  players 
also.  Those  who  advocate  such  a  plan  likewise  for- 
get that  it  is  a  good  thing  for  poor  players  to  play 
with  good  ones. 

Another  and  probably  better  plan  is  to  organize 
the  pupils  into  two  orchestras  of  equal  ability.  The 
better  players  would  thus  be  able  to  help  the  poorer 
ones  and  assist  the  leader  to  that  extent.  Each  or- 
chestra could  rehearse  separately  a  part  of  the  time 
and  unite  with  the  other  in  combined  rehearsals  at 
certain  stated  intervals.  Each  orchestra  that  has 
three  rehearsals  weekly  could  be  by  itself  twice  and 
unite  with  the  other  once  each  week.  When  the  or- 
chestras are  of  equal  ability,  instead  of  the  discour- 
agement certain  to  trouble  the  second,  there  would 
spring  up  a  healthy  rivalry  between  the  members 
and  their  partisans  which  would  be  good  for  all  con- 
cerned. The  leader  will  see  many  variations  of  the 
two  plans  outlined  which  may  be  made  to  fit  his  local 
conditions.  Another  plan  is  to  organize  a  large 
orchestra  taking  in  all  the  players,  and  a  small  one 
consisting  of  the  best  player  in  each  part.  The 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND   BANDS      109 

good  players  would  rehearse  with  the  large  organ- 
ization most  of  the  time  and  hold  special  rehearsals 
of  their  own.    This  plan  also  has  many  advantages. 
Where  there  are  two  orchestras  each  orchestra 
have  a  repertoire  that  is  available  at  any 


time,  and  it  could  alternate  with  the  other  in  playing 
at  the  different  events.  They  might  unite  at  the  con- 
certs given  by  the  chorus.  In  such  a  case  the  whole 
organization  might  play  for  the  choruses  and 
only  the  best  players  be  chosen  to  accompany  the 
soloists. 

What  properly  developed  orchestras  may  do  in 
a  public  school  system  is  exemplified  in  an  Indiana 
town  where  orchestras  have  been  organized  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  grammar  school  orchestras 
are  graded.  The  high  school  has  two  orchestras, 
a  first  and  a  second,  the  pupils  being  selected  for 
these  according  to  their  ability.  In  addition  to  the 
grade  school  and  high  school  orchestras,  there  is 
the  city  orchestra,  composed  almost  entirely  of  the 
pupils  who  have  been  in  the  school  orchestras.  This 
orchestra  gives  a  regular  series  of  concerts  during 
the  season.  When  a  pupil  is  able  to  hold  down  a 
desk  in  a  higher  orchestra  he  is  promoted.  This  is 
a  fine  thing  and  cannot  but  have  a  wonderful  effect 
upon  the  musical  life  of  the  town. 

MATERIAL 

High  school  orchestra  players  should  become 
familiar  with  a  great  variety  of  music  ranging  from 


110  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING   ' 

the  dance  tune  to  the  symphony.  Though  they  will 
not  be  able  to  play  symphonies  well  they  should  try 
one  or  two  to  find  out  what  they  are.  It  must  not 
be  forgotten  that  Ihe  education  of  the  members  is 
a  large  part  of  the  work  of  the  orchestra. 

Each  orchestra  should  have  a  large  library  of 
music.  Much  of  this  music  should  be  played  but 
once  and  then  laid  aside.  Since  the  success  and  value 
of  the  orchestra  player  depends  very  largely  on  his 
reading  ability,  the  only  way  to  become  an  expert 
sight  reader  is  to  do  a  great  deal  of  it.  Selections 
covering  a  wide  range  of  music  should  be  carefully 
rehearsed  and  added  to  the  permanent  repertoire. 
The  material  should  be  divided  into  several  sections 
and  purchases  made  according  to  the  purpose  of  the 
section  to  which  the  selections  belong,  for  example, 
sight  reading  pieces  to  be  played  but  once;  difficult 
selections  that  are  only  to  be  played  for  the  educa- 
tion of  the  players;  selections  that  can  be  played 
well  enough  to  be  used  in  public,  including  accom- 
paniments, dance  music,  overtures,  etc. 

CARE  OF  MATERIAL 

Each  student  should  have  an  envelope  in  which 
to  carry  his  orchestra  music  for  home  rehearsal.  If 
in  this  envelope  there  is  a  stiff  piece  of  cardboard 
that  can  not  be  folded  or  rolled,  all  the  better,  as 
orchestra  music  should  be  kept  flat.  Another  and 
better  but  more  expensive  plan  is  to  put  the  music 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS      111 

in  loose-leaf  folios.  There  are  several  of  these 
on  the  market.  With  these  the  permanent  reper- 
toire of  the  band  or  orchestra  can  be  put  in  shape 
to  be  used  most  expeditiously  at  rehearsals  or  con- 
?erts.  It  is  suggested  that  the  Y.  and  E.  folding 
and  expanding  envelope  No.  4556  C,  15x9^  inches 
be  used.  Pupils  should  be  taught  to  keep  the  music 
in  the  best  of  order  and  replace  every  piece  that  is 
lost  or  defaced  in  any  way.  Many  leaders  do  not 
allow  students  to  take  music  home  as  it  is  very  liable 
to  be  lost  or  defaced.  This  is  a  poor  policy,  for 
they  should  learn  to  take  care  of  music  and  return 
it  just  as  they  do  books  from  the  library.  The  or- 
chestra librarian  should  have  some  system  that  will 
take  care  of  all  this. 

LIBRARIAN 

Every  orchestra  should  have  a  librarian  who 
has  charge  of  the  music.  He  should  be  methodical 
and  trustworthy,  for  it  is  a  very  difficult  and  im- 
portant work  to  look  after  the  music  of  an  orchestra 
made  up  of  careless  high  school  boys  and  girls,  and 
have  the  music  at  hand  when  wanted.  Teaching  or- 
chestra players  to  be  careful  of  their  music  is  one 
of  the  hardest  lessons  the  leader  has  to  teach,  and 
he  should  have  an  able  assistant  in  the  librarian. 

Before  the  rehearsal  the  librarian  should  place 
the  racks  and  chairs  and  distribute  the  music.  Or- 
chestra music  should  be  kept  in  folders  or  envelopes 
with  the  name  and  parts  written  or  printed  on  the 


112  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

outside  as  is  done  in  the  music  stores.  The  librarian 
should  know  in  advance  just  what  music  is  to  be  used 
at  the  rehearsal.  He  should  place  all  the  music  for 
each  two  players  in  a  folder  and  place  this  folder 
or  envelope  on  the  rack.  One  of  the  greatest  time 
wasters  in  the  average  orchestra  rehearsal  is  the  dis- 
tribution and  collection  of  the  music.  The  folder 
or  envelope  plan  saves  time.  The  librarian  should 
have  entire  charge  of  this,  as  the  leader  has  some- 
thing more  important  to  do. 

At  the  end  of  the  rehearsal  each  pupil  should  put 
the  music  he  is  to  take  home  and  rehearse  into  his 
private  envelope.  This  should  be  preferably  an 
envelope  with  a  good-sized  flap  that  can  be  tied  shut 
so  that  the  loose  sheets  of  music  cannot  fall  out. 
With  the  envelope  containing  a  stiff  sheet  of  card- 
board and  a  flap  that  shuts,  these  risks  are  reduced  to 
the  minimum.  Before  the  pupils  are  dismissed  the 
leader  should  see  that  this  music  is  placed  in  the 
envelopes  and  the  envelopes  closed,  and  the  rest  of 
the  music  placed  in  the  holders  for  the  librarian  to 
collect  after  the  pupils  have  gone. 

Here  might  be  inserted  chapters  on  Conducting, 
Reading  Music,  Tuning,  and  Ear  Training,  but  in- 
stead of  this  the  reader  is  asked  to  refer  to  these 
chapters  in  "Grade  School  Music  Teaching,"  and 
also  to  read  up  on  these  same  subjects  in  the  ap- 
pended list  of  orchestra  books.  The  present  book 
is  concerned  with  the  school  room  practice  of  the 
orchestra  rather  than  with  the  more  technical  side 
of  the  work. 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS       113 


HOW  TO  CONDUCT  A  REHEARSAL 

Orchestra  rehearsals  should  be  held  in  school 
ftme,  for  the  orchestra  is  a  class  like  any  other.  If 
the  rehearsals  are  held  after  school,  there  are  the 
interruptions  and  absences  due  to  the  thousand  and 
one  causes  the  average  high  school  student  is  able 
to  invent  when  his  whims  interfere  with  his  duty. 
Rehearsal  time  should  be  a  double  period  instead  of 
a  single  one,  as  the  usual  forty-five  minutes  is  hardly 
long  enough  for  a  good  rehearsal.  It  takes  some 
time  for  the  player  to  get  warmed  up  and  tuned  up. 
A  good  compromise  plan  is  for  the  rehearsal  to  come 
the  last  period  of  the  school  day  and  then  have  the 
players  stay  one  period  after  school. 

Before  the  rehearsal  time  the  leader  should  place 
the  program  of  the  lesson  on  the  board  so  that 
every  player  may  at  once  arrange  his  music  in  the 
proper  order.  The  following  is  a  sample  program. 


Perfected 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 ) 

11.  .  >Studied  at  home 

12..  ..J 


New 


114  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 


13 

14 


To  be  studied  at  home 

16. 

The  first  three  numbers  are  selections  perfected 
at  some  previous  rehearsal.  While  these  are  being 
played,  the  leader  should  conduct  as  he  would  at  a 
concert,  varying  the  expression  and  tempo  as  seems 
best  to  him  to  bring  out  all  the  beauty  of  the  selec- 
tions. The  next  six  numbers  are  new  pieces  and, 
consequently,  these  should  be  played  either  in  con- 
cert or  individually.  These  pieces  should  be  played 
but  once  and  then  laid  aside,  for  their  reading  value 
is  gone  after  one  playing.  These  pieces  should  be 
played  at  the  proper  speed  the  first  time  through. 
The  third  group  of  three  pieces  comprises  those  the 
pupils  took  home  and  practiced  since  the  last  re- 
hearsal. The  leader  should  rehearse  these  selec- 
tions for  ensemble  perfection  and  then  add  them 
to  the  permanent  repertoire.  The  fourth  contains 
the  selections  the  pupils  are  to  take  home  and  study. 
These  may  be  taken  from  the  sight-reading  group 
or  from  any  other  source.  A  rehearsal  planned  and 
carried  out  as  above  will  use  all  the  time  and  ac- 
complish much.  The  pupils  will  like  it  as  it  will 
impress  them  as  business-like  and  not  as  a  mere 
pastime. 

The  pupils  should  come  into  the  class  room  a 
little  early  if  possible,  tune  their  instruments  quickly, 
have  their  tuning  verified  by  the  concert  master,  ar- 
range their  music,  and  sit  quietly  and  let  the  others 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS      115 

tune.  When  the  leader  steps  to  his  desk  there  should 
be  perfect  silence.  His  stepping  to  the  desk  should 
at  once  signify  that  the  rehearsal  has  commenced. 
He  should  merely  raise  his  baton  and  swing  the 
players  into  the  first  piece  as  he  would  at  a  concert. 
Discipline  is  very  lax  in  many  high  school  orchestras, 
the  pupils  feeling  free  to  make  all  the  noise  they 
see  fit.  Often  the  leader's  words  are  lost  in  the 
various  tunings  and  noises  that  are  going  on.  This 
has  a  deleterious  effect  on  the  players  and  their 
music.  The  pupils'  ears  get  dull  in  the  noisy  atmo- 
sphere and  the  attention  poor.  The  orchestra  player 
needs  all  the  attention  he  is  capable  of  giving,  and 
his  hearing  must  be  most  delicate. 

INDIVIDUAL  WORK 

The  leader  will  greatly  strengthen  his  orchestra 
by  having  the  players  do  individual  work.  To  do 
this  he  should  divide  the  whole  number  into  groups 
consisting  of  one  instrument  of  each  kind  rep- 
resented. This  will  of  course  require  some  instru- 
ments to  play  in  more  than  one  group,  but  this  can 
easily  be  arranged.  These  groups  should  be  num- 
bered, and  allowed  to  play  passages  in  rotation.  For 
instance,  the  first  group  should  be  permitted  to  try 
a  passage  of  a  certain  number  of  measures,  and  if 
they  play  it  perfectly,  the  whole  orchestra  should 
play  it  over  after  them  to  inform  the  leader  it  is 
right.  If  it  is  not  correctly  played,  the  next  group 
should  take  it  up  without  comment,  and  so  on  around 


116  HIGH    SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

the  class.  This  is  most  valuable  training  for  all 
concerned.  This  is  the  same  thing  as  the  individual 
work  in  part  singing  in  the  grades. 

The  individual  groups  should  follow  each  other 
in  exact  time.  The  whole  orchestra  should  also 
follow  in  exact  time  when' a  passage  is  played  cor- 
rectly by  any  group.  Some  of  the  time  the  leader 
should  have  the  different  groups  play  out  of  turn. 
This  can  be  done  by  calling  the  number  of  the  group, 
whenever  the  leader  wishes  a  group  to  play.  This 
will  eliminate  the  mental  sogginess  of  certain  pu- 
pils, who,  knowing  just  when  they  will  have  to  play, 
take  naps  between  times.  Many  variations  of  this 
scheme  may  be  easily  devised  that  will  work  to  the 
everlasting  good  of  the  players  both  musically  and 
mentally. 

The  pupils  who  are  playing  have  a  chance  to 
work  without  help,  and  those  who  are  listening  have 
the  chance  to  sharpen  their  ears  and  their  attention, 
for  they  must  decide  whether  or  not  the  passage  is 
correctly  played.  The  leader  must  not  decide 
whether  it  is  right  or  not,  further  than  to  stop  the 
orchestra  when  it  starts  to  play  after  a  group  has 
not  played  correctly.  Since  the  pupils  will  not  have 
the  music  of  all  the  parts  before  them  to  help  de- 
termine whether  or  not  it  is  correctly  played,  they 
must  depend  upon  their  harmonic  sense  to  supply 
the  other  parts.  This  is  a  most  valuable  training 
for  the  orchestra  player,  for  it  strengthens  his  har- 
monic hearing. 

Individual  work  should  be  done  in  reading  new 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND   BANDS      117 

music  to  improve  the  reading  of  each  player.  It 
Should  also  be  used  to  check  up  on  the  home  study 
of  the  pupils  as  a  basis  for  marking  the  progress 
of  the  .players. 

USE  OF  PIANO 

The  piano  is  a  great  addition  to  the  small  or- 
chestra as  it  fills  in  and  supplies  the  missing  parts 
but  it  also  is  a  great  coverer  since  it  conceals  the 
discords  and  makes  the  players  careless  in  their  in- 
tonation.  The  music  should  be  learned  without  the 
piano  first,  as  the  players  should  learn  to  gauge 
and  correct  their  intonation  from  the  other  instru- 
ments. Later  the  piano  can  be  added  with  good 
effect.  This  plan  of  not  using  the  piano  will  make 
the  rehearsals  sound  rather  thin  and  cause  each 
error  to  stick  out  like  a  sore  thumb.  All  the  bet- 
ter, for,  being  so  apparent,  it  can  then  be  more 
easily  corrected. 

REHEARSE  WITH  CHORUS 

The  orchestra  should  rehearse  with  the  chorus 
whenever  possible,  as  accompanying  of  all  kinds 
is  a  valuable  training  for  orchestra  players.  Fur- 
thermore, nothing  so  vitalizes  the  chorus  work  as 
to  have  the  orchestra  for  an  accompaniment.  This 
is  especially  true  when  the  orchestra  is  a  fine  big  one 
and  the  music  one  of  the  choral  masterpieces.  Even 
if  the  orchestra  is  small  and  does  not  give  a  flawless 
performance,  the  tone  colors  of  the  different  instru- 


118  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

ments  enrich  the  music  and  make  the  work  more 
interesting  for  all  concerned. 

ROLL  CALL 

Time  should  not  be  taken  from  rehearsal  for 
roll  call.  The  librarian  or  some  other  student  should 
take  the  attendance  while  the  pupils  are  playing. 

ORGANIZATION 

It  is  a  very  good  plan  to  have  some  organization 
of  the  orchestra.  There  should  of  cpurse  be  the 
regular  organization — as  outlined  in  the  books  on 
orchestra — having  a  concert  master  and  a  leader  of 
each  part.  In  addition  to  this  there  should  be  some 
organization  with  a  president,  etc.,  and  also  a  pub- 
licity committee  to  keep  up  the  interest  in  the  or- 
chestra among  the  student  body  and  bring  into  it  the 
new  students  who  do  not  know  of  it  or  who  are  too 
timid  to  join.  This  committee  can  be  made  of  great 
assistance  to  the  leader  and  the  orchestra  as  a  whole. 

CREDITS 

Credit  should  be  given  pupils  who  play  in  the 
orchestra  if  their  work  is  worth  it.  If  they  merely 
play  occasionally  for  the  fun  of  the  thing,  they  should 
receive  no  credit.  Music  should  not  be  looked  upon 
as  a  snap;  the  music  credits  that  are  given  in  the 
high  school  should  be  earned.  Since  music  is  all 
too  apt  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  fad  by  pupils,  public, 


HIGH  SCHOOL  ORCHESTRAS  AND  BANDS      119 

high  school  teachers,  the  credits  that  music  stu- 
dents receive  should  be  convincingly  hard  to  get. 
Various  systems  are  in  vogue  in  different  school  sys- 
tems. The  following  plan  is  in  use  in  the  Minne- 
apolis schools.  Any  high  school  pupil  playing  any 
instrument  of  the  symphony  orchestra  may  play  in 
the  orchestra,  having  this  work  count  as  one  of  his 
regular  studies.  Members  of  the  orchestra  must 
(1)  take  one  thirty-minute  lesson  weekly  from  some 
approved  private  instructor  for  the  thirty-eight 
weeks  of  the  school  year;  (2)  attend  one  two-hour 
or  three  forty-five  minute  rehearsals  weekly;  (3) 
practice  seven  hours  weekly;  (4)  and  when  requested 
play  at  any  entertainment  given  by  the  school  author- 
ities. Two  credits  are  given  for  one  year's  work, 
eight  credits  for  four  years'  work.  Pupils  doing 
all  the  foregoing  work  except  taking  the  private  les- 
sons are  given  one  credit  for  one  year's  work.  No 
credits  are  given  pupils  who  study  an  instrument  but 
do  not  play  in  the  orchestra.  A  place  is  found  in 
an  orchestra  for  all  who  wish  to  study  with  the  ex- 
ception of  pupils,  who,  just  beginning  the  study  of 
an  instrument,  cannot  play  well  enough  to  enter  an 
orchestra.  These  pupils  are  allowed  to  take  their 
lessons  for  a  few  months  and  do  some  extra  prac- 
ticing instead  of  playing  in  the  orchestra. 

There  are  two  reasons  for  requiring  all  instru- 
mentalists to  play  in  the  orchestra.  In  the  first 
place,  ensemble  playing  is  a  necessary  part  of  an 
instrumentalist's  education;  in  the  second,  he  should 


120  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

use  his  talents  for  the  common  good  and  help  pay  for 
his  training. 

All  that  has  been  said  above  about  the  orchestra 
can  be  said  about  the  band.  There  should  be  a  good 
band  in  every  high  school  and  both  boys  and  girls 
should  play  in  it.  The  band  can  fill  a  number  of 
needs  better  than  an  orchestra.  It  should  have  a 
part  in  all  outdoor  entertainments  and  many  of  the 
indoor  events  as  well.  Credits  should  be  given  for 
band  playing  the  same  as  for  orchestra.  Appended 
will  be  found  a  list  of  orchestra  and  band  instruc- 
tion books. 

BOOKS  ON  ORCHESTRA  AND  BAND 

Kling's  Instrumentation Fischer 

"Instrumentation,"  Prout    -    Novello  Ewer  and  Co. 

"Wind  Band,"  Clappe Fischer 

"Orchestral  Instruments  and  their  Uses,"  D.  G. 

Mason  ....  Novello  Ewer  and  Co. 
"Amateur  Band  Guide,"  Goldman  -  -  Fischer 
"Band  Assistant,"  Laurendeau  -  Ditson  &  Co. 
"Instrumentation,"  Gaston  Borch  -  -  Schirmer 
"Public  School  Orchestras  and  Bands,"  Glenn  H. 

Woods Ditson  &  Co. 

"Building  the  School  Orchestra,"  R.  N.  Carr    - 

Ginn  &  Co.  (In  press.) 


CHAPTER  5 

CONDUCTING 

CONDUCTING  of  school  orchestras,  bands,  or 
choruses  is  for  the  purpose  of  giving  some  selection 
in  public  so  that  the  leader's  idea  of  the  music  will 
be  interpreted  by  the  players  or  singers.  This  chap- 
ter does  not  venture  into  the  realm  of  artistry.  It 
only  aims  to  give  a  few  hints  as  to  how  the  artistry 
of  the  leader  may  be  most  easily  and  definitely  ex- 
pressed to  the  audience  through  the  medium  of  the 
body  of  musicians  he  is  conducting. 

TWO  KINDS  OF  CONDUCTING 

We  are  often  called  upon  to  observe  two  kinds 
of  conducting.  One  is  the  spectacular,  where  the 
leader  claims  all  the  attention;  the  other,  the  one 
where  the  leader  uses  the  baton  as  it  should  be  used, 
as  the  power  to  weld  the  whole  body  of  musicians 
into  a  consistent  whole.  This  quiet  style  of  leading, 
with  a  firm  hold  of  the  musicians,  was  wonderfully 
exemplified  by  the  late  Theodore  Thomas.  His 
beat  was  as  definite  as  clockwork  and  there  was  no 
mistaking  it,  even  by  a  novice. 

The  pupils  should  know  their  music  so  well  that 


122  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

they  can  play  or  sing  it  perfectly  without  cues.  The 
leader  should  show  the  speed  and  dynamics  of  the 
selection,  but  the  singers  and  players  should  count 
their  own  measures  and  know  exactly  when  they  are 
to  come  in.  This  kind  of  conducting  is  the  best  to 
use  with  amateur  orchestras  and  choruses  since  it 
keeps  them  alive  and  makes  them  more  self-depend- 
ent. For  the  leader  to  do  too  much  of  the  thinking 
for  the  musicians  is  as  bad  as  to  sing  and  play  with 
them  when  they  are  learning  new  pieces. 

In  public  performances,  of  course,  cues  should 
be  given,  but  the  players  should  be  so  well  trained 
that  the  piece  will  not  be  spoiled  if  the  leader  slips 
up  on  a  few  cues,  as  the  average  amateur  leader  is 
very  apt  to  do.  The  fact  is  that  a  fine  teacher  of 
orchestra  or  chorus  is  seldom  a  good  leader,  and  a 
fine  leader  of  orchestra,  band  or  chorus,  seldom  a 
good  teacher.  As  the  two  things  are  diametrically 
opposed  to  each  other,  it  is  very  difficult  to  do  both. 
A  teacher  must  keep  still  and  let  his  pupils  learn  by 
experience.  The  leader  must  do  just  the  opposite. 
He  must  keep  everything  going  and  preclude  the 
possibility  of  mistakes.  This  is  good  leading,  but 
very  poor  teaching,  as  the  player  and  singer  should 
learn  to  lead  himself  first.  Then  he  is  ready  to  be 
led.  This  is  one  of  the  difficulties  for  the  average 
supervisor  of  music,  for  he  must  be  both  a  teacher 
and  a  conductor.  In  learning  new  selections,  singers 
and  players  should  keep  together  by  ear,  even  in 
bodies  of  several  hundred.  This  gives  them  a  most 
valuable  ear  training,  which  they  will  not  get  if  the 


CONDUCTING  123 

X 

conductor  beats  time  either  visibly  or  audibly.  They 
should  also  sing  with  their  own  expression  first,  after 
which  experience  the  leader  should  take  hold  and 
mould  them  according  to  his  own  ideas. 

SYSTEM  OF  CONDUCTING 

It  is  well  for  the  supervisor  of  music  to  read 
many  books  on  conducting  and  use  the  good  points 
of  all,  but  he  must  adopt  some  system  and  stick  to  it 
so  that  his  pupils  will  know  what  to  do.  In  any 
event,  when  he  is  conducting,  he  must  be  the  real 
leader  and  insist  that  his  musicians  follow  him  per- 
fectly. The  more  plainly  and  simply  he  beats,  the 
better  they  will  follow.  The  system  of  conducting 
here  outlined  has  these  points  to  recommend  it.  It 
is  simple  and  is  so  sufficiently  universal  that  strangers 
have  no  trouble  in  following  it. 

Any  set  of  signals  that  will  tell  the  players  or 
singers  how  the  leader  wants  the  piece  to  go  will 
do.  Of  course,  the  leader  has  made  an  exhaustive 
study  of  the  piece  and  if  he  knows  it  by  heart,  all 
the  better,  as  he  will  have  his  eyes  free  to  see  what 
his  forces  are  doing.  As  to  the  proper  interpreta- 
tion, the  leader  should  be  free  to  do  as  he  pleases. 
It  all  should  rest  with  him.  The  players  and  singers 
should  do  as  he  wishes. 

In  beating  time,  the  conductor  should  move  the 
baton  as  follows,  in  the  different  measures.  In  two- 
part  measures,  the  beat  should  be  straight  down  for 
the  first  beat  and  straight  up  for  the  second  beat. 


124  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

This  will  give  a  perfect  representation  of  the  meas- 
ure. In  three-part,  the  baton  should  go  straight 
down,  straight  to  the  right,  and  then  obliquely  to 
the  starting  point.  In  four-part,  it  should  go  straight 
down,  straight  left,  straight  right,  and  then  straight 
up  to  the  starting  point.  In  six-part  measure,  it 
should  either  go  down  and  up,  as  in  two-part  meas- 
ure, three  eighth-notes  to  a  beat,  or  it  should  go 
down,  left,  left,  right,  up,  up  to  the  starting  point. 
The  other  divisions  of  time  are  usually  done  as  three 
and  four-beat  measures. 

HOLD  BATON  HIGH 

The  criticism  is  sometimes  made  that  bringing 
the  baton  straight  down  is  apt  to  bring  it  too  low 
to  be  seen.  The  answer  is  that  it  should  go  straight 
down  so  that  down  means  down  instead  of  some 
vague  oblique  direction,  as  it  does  so  often.  The 
leader  should  stand  high  enough  to  be  visible  to  all, 
hold  his  baton  high,  and  then  move  it  but  a  short 
distance.  There  is  no  reason  for  waving  the  baton 
in  wide  sweeps,  as  some  conductors  often  do,  unless 
the  chorus  is  extremely  large. 

The  length  of  the  movement  tells  the  power  of 
tone  to  be  employed,  and  the  speed  of  the  baton, 
of  course,  gives  the  speed  of  the  piece.  As  the  side 
of  the  baton  should  be  visible  to  the  singers  or  play- 
ers, it  should  be  of  a  very  distinct  color.  White  is 
best.  Some  contrasting  color  should  be  used  by 
lady  leaders. 


x  CONDUCTING  125 

VARY  THE  BEAT 

When  conducting  rehearsals,  the  leader  should 
vary  the  time  a  great  deal  and  never  vary  it  the 
same  way.  It  is  better  to  have  the  chorus  or  or- 
chestra alive  and  in  a  state  of  expectancy  than  to 
have  them  know  in  advance  how  fast  or  how  slow, 
how  loud  or  how  soft,  they  are  going  to  sing  or  play. 
If  they  are  too  sure  of  what  the  leader  is  going 
to  do,  they  will  not  watch  closely.  This  will  make 
the  performance  dull  and  soggy,  and  will  cause  the 
leader  to  tear  his  hair  over  the  stupidity  of  choruses 
in  general  and  this  one  in  particular,  when  it  is  his 
own  fault.  If  the  conductor  has  his  chorus  and  or- 
chestra well  in  hand  at  the  rehearsal,  and  drills 
them,  not  so  much  on  the  piece  as  in  following  the 
beat,  he  will  have  the  power  to  play  upon  his  forces 
at  will.  Since  leaders'  seldom  feel  the  same  at  con- 
certs as  they  do  at  rehearsals,  and  since  the  feeling 
they  have  for  the  music  at  the  concert  may  be  a 
far  better  one  than  the  one  they  felt  at  the  rehearsal, 
the  instrument,  no  matter  whether  it  be  chorus  or 
orchestra,  should  respond  to  his  needs.  To  bring 
this  about,  he  must  drill  beforehand,  not  on  his 
moods  but  on  responding  to  them. 

The  left  hand  should  be  free  to  turn  the  music, 
give  the  cues,  and  supplement  the  work  of  the  right 
hand.  For  example,  a  gesture  with  the  palm  toward 
the  chorus  will  mean  softer,  if  they  have  not  fol- 
lowed the  baton  correctly  as  to  power.  A  beckoning 


126  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

with  the  left  hand  will  bring  out  a  certain  part 
louder.  On  holds,  the  power  may  be  varied  by  mov- 
ing the  two  hands  nearer  together  or  farther  apart, 
for  diminishes  and  swells.  A  very  clever  way  to 
hold  attention  and  at  the  same  time  tell  the  pupils 
how  loudly  to  sing  is  to  use  the  fingers  of  the  left 
hand  to  denote  power.  The  hand  held  up  with  all 
the  fingers  and  thumb  folded  means  the  softest  tone 
possible.  One  extended  finger  a  little  louder  and 
so  on  until  the  whole  extended  hand  means  full 
power. 

Successful  conducting  hinges  on  the  movements 
of  the  baton,  which  movements  should  be  so  definite 
that  the  dullest  musician  will  be  able  to  see  and  fol- 
low them.  Poor  following  on  the  part  of  a  chorus 
or  orchestra  is  always  the  fault  of  the  leader.  Ob- 
scure beats  or  gestures  do  not  compel  close  atten- 
tion. It  takes  backbone  to  make  people  obey,  and 
the  leader  must  be  firm,  unyielding,  and  definite. 

We  are  quite  aware  that  the  foregoing  system  of 
leading  is  opposed  to  the  accepted  systems  in  some 
ways,  but  we  have  endeavored  to  put  in  only  the 
plainest  necessities,  eliminating  useless  pyrotechnics 
that  make  the  leader  conspicuous  but  ineffective. 
Better  look  like  a  basswood  image  and  be  easily  fol- 
lowed than  be  a  picture  of  willowy  grace  and  beauty 
with  vague  meaning.  The  concert  will  sound  better, 
and  after  all,  the  concert  is  to  be  heard  and  not 
seen. 


CONDUCTING  127 

CONDUCTING 

"On  Conducting,"  Richard  Wagner       ... 

William  Reeves,  London 

"The  Essentials  of  Conducting,"  Carl  W.  Gherkins 

Ditson  &  Co. 
"Choirs  and  Choral  Music,"  Arthur  Mees 

Chas.  Scribner 


CHAPTER  6 

CONCERTS  AND  ENTERTAINMENTS 

OF  the  many  sides  to  high  school  music  a  very 
important  one  is  the  social  and  entertainment.  A 
pupil  learns  music  for  a  number  of  reasons,  but  one 
very  potent  reason  is  that  if  he  can  sing  or  play  an 
instrument  acceptably  he  will  be  able  to  appear  in 
public  and  entertain  his  friends.  This  is  a  very 
strong  and  natural  feeling  on  the  part  of  the  pupil, 
and  one  of  which  the  supervisor  should  take  full 
advantage. 

Appearing  before  an  audience  gives  the  students 
a  poise  and  self-possession  that  is  extremely  valuable 
and  of  a  kind  to  be  acquired  in  no  other  way.  Con- 
sequently he  should  have  as  much  practice  of  this 
kind  as  possible.  In  large  high  schools  it  is  very 
difficult  to  give  all  the  students  anything  like  the 
amount  of  this  they  should  have.  Therefore,  any 
scheme  to  further  this  end  is  legitimate,  provided 
it  does  not  take  too  much  of  the  student's  time. 
Music  is  particularly  adapted  for  public  appear- 
ances, as  it  takes  in  so  many  people  and  is  so  uni- 
versally used. 


CONCERTS   AND   ENTERTAINMENTS  129 

MOTIVE 

Entertainments  will  furnish  pupils  an  immediate 
and  interesting  motive  for  a  great  deal  of  hard 
work.  The  money  made  at  these  entertainments  can 
be  applied  to  some  school  project,  and  furthermore, 
pupils  will  learn  to  help  pay  for  their  school  training. 
The  education  we  now  have  is  too  free.  It  breeds 
selfishness  in  the  pupils.  The  idea  is  constantly  held 
before  them  that  they  must  work  for  the  good  it 
will  do  them.  In  music  they  can  be  shown  an  op- 
portunity to  work  for  the  common  good  or  the  good 
they  can  do  others. 

Musical  entertainments  are  also  excellent  for 
popularizing  high  school  music.  The  supervisor 
may  work  for  years  in  the  school  room  and  his  work 
be  unappreciated  as  the  people  will  not  notice  the 
results.  Some  will  notice  that  Jennie  or  Henry  can 
read  music,  but  it  takes  a  successful  concert  to  show 
the  community  that  music  is  in  the  schools  and  that 
the  results  are  worth  the  time  and  money  spent  upon 
it.  This  is  especially  true  in  towns  where  music  is 
just  being  introduced  into  the  schools. 

Granted  the  good  that  concerts  do,  let  us  look 
at  the  kind  and  character  of  entertainments  that  can 
be  given  with  the  best  effect  on  all  concerned.  When 
the  leader  is  a  live  wire  and  the  school  management 
is  awake  to  the  good  the  pupils  get  from  successful 
public  appearances,  a  great  number  and  variety  of 
entertainments  can  be  given.  In  addition  to  its 
own  concerts  the  music  department  should  be  ready, 


130  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

able,  and  willing  to  assist  the  activities  of  all  the 
other  departments.  The  school  band  should  play 
at  the  ball  games.  The  orchestra  should  play  be- 
tween acts  of  the  school  plays,  for  the  school  dances, 
etc.  The  teachers  of  other  departments  should  take 
pains  to  assist  the  music  department  in  part  pay- 
ment for  what  the  music  will  do  for  them,  and  thus 
set  an  example  in  unselfish  cooperation  for  the  pu- 
pils to  follow. 

All  the  entertainments  of  all  the  departments 
for  the  school  year  should  be  scheduled  in  advance 
so  that  they  will  not  be  too  numerous  nor  too  near 
together,  for  they  must  be  well  done  and  they  must 
not  work  either  the  pupils  or  the  community  too 
hard.  A  large  part  of  the  preparation  should  be 
done  in  school  time  and  be  a  part  of  the  regular 
school  work,  and  credit  should  be  given  for  a  good 
deal  of  it  though  not  for  all,  as  those  pupils  having 
special  talent  should  be  taught  to  use  it  for  the  com- 
mon good  without  compensation.  There  is  too 
much  of  "What  do  I  get  out  of  it?"  and  too  little 
of  "What  can  I  do  to  help?"  in  our  modern  educa- 
tion. We  should  see  to  it  that  music  furnishes  a 
little  training  in  unselfishness  to  counteract  this. 

As  high  school  music  is  largely  chorus  work, 
many  of  the  concerts  should  consist  of  chorus  sing- 
ing of  various  kinds.  This  will  allow  more  people 
to  take  part  in  the  entertainments  and  the  more  peo- 
ple interested,  the  better  from  the  artistic,  educa- 
tional, and  box-office  points  of  view.  As  the  music 
the  chorus  sings  at  these  concerts  can  be  a  part  of 


CONCERTS    AND    ENTERTAINMENTS  131 

the  daily  music  lessons,  extra  time  will  not  be  re- 
quired for  rehearsals. 

SELECTING  THE  CHORUS 

All  the  pupils  in  the  classes  should  learn  the  mu- 
sic to  be  sung  at  the  concerts  and,  if  the  stage  is 
large  enough,  the  whole  school  should  appear.  If 
this  is  impossible,  the  concert  chorus  should  be  made 
up  by  selecting  the  best  singers,  using  as  many  as 
the  stage  will  accommodate.  There  will  naturally 
be  some  heart-burnings,  as  some  who  dearly  love 
to  sing  will  be  omitted.  This  feeling  may,  however, 
be  reduced  to  a  minimum  by  allowing  the  pupils  to 
select  the  singers  either  wholly  or  in  part.  Young 
people,  being  very  honest,  in  selecting  singers  that 
are  to  represent  the  class  at  a  concert  are  often 
more  particular  than  the  leader.  They  are  very 
quick  to  see  that  some  one  else  sings  well  and  are 
satisfied  with  the  justice  of  the  selection.  As  there 
is  the  audience  paying  for  a  good  performance  to 
be  considered,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  class  to  make 
it  as  good  a  performance  as  possible.  If  some  one 
can  make  the  show  better  by  not  appearing  in  it,  he 
or  she  will  see  the  justice  of  the  selections  and  cheer- 
fully abide  by  them.  A  clever  leader  will  not  only 
be  able  to  reduce  the  disappointments  to  a  mini- 
mum by  letting  the  pupils  help  in  the  selection  of 
the  chorus,  but  will  be  doing  a  little  toward  raising 
a  race  of  singers  not  afflicted  with  jealousy.  Many 
of  those  not  selected  to  sing  may  be  used  as  ushers, 
ticket  sellers,  and  in  many  other  capacities. 


132  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

BALANCE  OF  PARTS 

The  parts  should  balance  perfectly  in  this  spe- 
cial chorus  and  the  music  be  so  well  learned  that  a 
flawless  performance  can  be  given.  Pupils  them- 
selves are  very  particular  about  this.  A  supervisor 
who  allows  any  slackness  of  preparation  is  usually 
made  to  feel  their  displeasure  in  no  uncertain  man- 
ner. 

The  chorus  should  make  another  appearance  at 
Commencement.  There  is  no  form  of  Commence- 
ment so  attractive  as  a  few  short  speeches  from  the 
pupils  and  a  number  of  fine  choruses  given  by  a  big 
stageful  of  charming  young  people. 

ORATORIO 

The  best  and  most  valuable  entertainment  that 
can  be  given  by  the  high  school  music  department  is 
the  Oratorio  or  the  Cantata  that  is  given  without 
scenery  and  action.  It  is  not  the  most  popular  with 
the  public,  but  it  should  become  so  as  it  furnishes  an 
opportunity  for  both  school  and  public  to  become 
intimately  acquainted  with  the  finest  choral  music. 

There  has  been  a  good  deal  of  nonsense  written 
about  the  dangers  of  allowing  high  school  pupils  to 
sing  the  big  things  in  choral  music;  but  this  nonsense 
usually  comes  from  musicians  who  are  unable  to  see 
things  in  their  proper  proportions  and  who  know 
little  or  nothing  about  the  workings  of  the  human 
voice.  As  the  musician  is  very  apt  to  think  only  of 


CONCERTS   AND   ENTERTAINMENTS  133 

the  music,  to  suit  him  it  must  be  performed  accord- 
ing to  tradition.  Take  the  "Hallelujah"  for  ex- 
ample. This  selection  sounds  best  with  a  full,  pow- 
erful tone  from  the  chorus  which  high  school  stu- 
dents cannot  give  without  straining.  (There  is, 
however,  no  danger  of  their  straining  as  to  com- 
pass if  the  voices  have  been  correctly  classified.) 
But  shall  we  forever  close  the  door  of  the  realm  of 
fine  choral  music  to  these  young  people  just  because 
they  cannot  sing  with  all  the  power  the  music  de- 
mands? Certainly  not.  Better  use  a  larger  num- 
ber of  singers  and  then  do  not  let  them  get  excited 
and  sing  too  hard.  Each  voice  should  sing  with 
medium  power  and  the  whole  effect  will  be  good. 
If  the  soft  passages  are  sung  very  softly,  the  loud 
places  will  sound  loud  enough  to  be  in  proportion, 
and  the  musical  effect  will  be  surprisingly  good 
though  in  a  somewhat  lighter  form  than  the  music 
seems  to  call  for.  Test  the  voices  in  the  high  school 
properly,  insist  that  they  be  used  easily,  and  then 
sing  all  the  great  music  you  wish,  the  more  the  bet- 
ter. The  leader  should  not  fear  to  allow  the  pupils 
to  sing  the  big  fine  things.  They  will  respond  to 
them  nobly  for  theirs  is  the  age  when  the  great 
choral  masterpieces  appeal  to  them. 

The  soloists  should  be  taken  from  the  ranks 
of  the  students  or  teachers  whenever  possible,  and 
the  school  orchestra  should  furnish  the  accompani- 
ments, even  if  it  does  not  play  as  well  as  the  Min- 
neapolis Symphony  Orchestra.  If  soloists  are  not 
available  from  the  school  forces,  the  singers  of  the 


134  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

town  are  usually  ready  and  willing  to  assist,  and 
they  should  be,  for  it  is  their  problem  as  much  as 
that  of  the  supervisor  of  music  to  educate  the  com- 
munity in  the  higher  forms  of  music. 

OPERA 

The  next  most  important  and  very  likely  the 
most  popular  form  of  entertainment  a  high  school 
can  give  is  the  light  opera.  This  should  be  given 
by  the  glee  clubs  in  the  larger  high  schools  and  by 
the  whole  chorus  in  the  smaller  ones.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  whole  range  of  music  that  will  so 
soon  and  so  thoroughly  interest  the  pupils  of  a 
small  high  school  where  music  is  new  or  unpopular, 
as  learning  and  giving  a  light  opera. 

To  illustrate  this  point  pardon  a  personal  ref- 
erence. Some  years  ago  I  spent  one  day  weekly  in 
a  small  town  where  music  had  been  so  cordially 
hated  that  it  had  been  dropped  two  years  before. 
I  was  at  my  wit's  end  the  first  time  I  visited  that 
high  school.  Not  a  pupil  would  open  his  mouth 
to  try  the  music  I  had  brought.  So  I  smiled  and 
played  and  sang  to  them  instead.  At  the  second 
lesson  a  few  of  the  girls  piped  up  a  little.  At  the 
third  lesson  I  suggested  that  they  give  a  light  opera 
as  they  had  a  good  auditorium  and  the  high  school 
numbered  about  seventy  members.  Their  jaws 
dropped  and  the  principal  looked  at  me  as  if  doubt- 
ing my  sanity.  I  told  them  what  fun  it  was  to  get 
up  an  opera.  They  voted  to  try  it.  Then  I  sug- 


CONCERTS   AND    ENTERTAINMENTS  135 

gested  that  their  voices  better  be  tested  to  see 
what  part  they  could  sing  best.  Moreover,  I  offered 
to  stay  that  afternon  and  test  the  voices  of  all  who 
were  interested  enough  to  stay  after  school  for  the 
purpose.  Over  half  of  them  stayed  and  most  of  the 
rest  submitted  to  the  operation  the  next  week. 

The  opera  selected  was  Pinafore,  and  the  next 
week  all  were  supplied  with  books.  The  work  they 
made  of  it  was  something  awful,  but  we  picked  out 
the  soloists  and  they  got  busy.  I  never  worked 
harder  in  my  life.  Neither  had  they.  To  make  a 
long  story  short,  they  gave  that  opera  in  February. 
I  feel  as  if  I  had  been  drinking  vinegar  yet  when 
I  remember  how  some  of  those  choruses  sounded. 
They  fondly  imagined  they  were  singing  the  parts 
and  they  worked  heroically  to  get  them  right,  but 
it  was  impossible.  The  choruses  were  mostly  in 
unison,  octaves  or  fifths,  but  the  tune,  the  action, 
and  the  pep  were  all  there.  The  soloists  sang  their 
parts  correctly  except  in  the  concerted  passages, 
when  they,  too,  lapsed  into  chords  that  Sullivan 
never  would  have  recognized.  But  I  held  my  peace 
and  we  were  all  happy.  The  whole  town  came  and 
marvelled  that  these  pupils  could  do  so  well.  The 
musical  ones  in  the  audience  shuddered  once  in  a 
while  but  most  of  them  enjoyed  the  whole  thing.  As 
a  performance,  it  left  many  things  to  be  desired. 
As  a  means  of  getting  that  high  school  to  singing, 
it  was  a  glittering  success.  I  only  give  this  for  an 
illustration  of  what  an  opera  will  do  when  a  high 
school  needs  waking  up  musically.  If  I  had  been 


136  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

a  sensitive  musician,  I  never  could  have  endured 
the  liberties  those  pupils  took  with  Sullivan's  music. 
I  shut  my  ear,  however,  and  kept  my  eye  on  the 
future,  and  they  came  out  all  right,  for  the  next 
music  they  studied  was  sung  much  better  and  in  time 
they  became  fine  readers  of  music. 

The  foregoing  incident  explains  why  fine  mu- 
sicians sometimes  fail  in  attempting  to  do  high 
school  music  work.  They  are  looking  at  the  music 
so  hard  that  they  do  not  take  into  consideration  the 
limited  ability  and  experience  of  the  students.  Get 
the  pupils  to  do  the  very  best  they  are  capable  of 
doing,  and  then  do  not  fuss  if  results  are  not  perfect. 
Get  the  pupils  interested,  and  the  perfect  results 
will  come  later. 

PAGEANTS 

Pageantry  will  furnish  the  motive  for  much  hard 
study  and  give  an  outlet  for  the  artistic  activities 
of  many  departments  at  the  same  time.  For  ex- 
ample :  the  pupils  of  an  eighth  grade  class  in  United 
States  history  decided  to  give  a  pageant  of  the  his- 
tory of  the  United  States  in  the  spring.  As  there 
was  the  ever-present  need  of  deciding  what  to  use 
and  what  to  reject,  they  learned  their  history  better 
as  they  went  along.  When  they  had  selected  the 
scenes  to  be  used,  the  English  class  wrote  the 
speeches,  the  manual-training  class  made  the  scenery, 
and  other  properties,  the  art  class  painted  the 
scenery,  the  sewing  class  made  the  costumes,  the 


CONCERTS   AND   ENTERTAINMENTS  137 

arithmetic  class  estimated  the  cost  and  attended  to 
the  business  part  of  it,  and  the  physical  training 
class  staged  it.  Last  but  not  least  the  music  class 
found,  adapted,  played  and  sang  the  music  that  went 
with  it.  The  history  work  of  that  class  had  a  mo- 
tive that  was  living  and  vital  to  every  pupil,  and 
when  the  pageant  was  over  every  one  had  seen  a  fine 
entertainment,  a  goodly  sum  of  money  had  been 
acquired  for  school  use,  and  United  States  history 
had  been  made  to  live  in  the  minds  of  those  pupils. 
Of  course  there  was  work  and  plenty  of  it,  but  it 
was  interesting  work  and  work  that  was  worth 
while. 

Some  such  plans  as  outlined  above  can  be  used 
better  in  a  high  school  than  it  can  in  the  grades,  and 
the  number  of  subjects  that  can  be  so  treated  is 
legion.  All  entertainments  should  be  planned  to 
interest  as  many  departments  as  possible. 

REGULAR  LESSON 

An  "At  Home"  day  with  the  music  lesson  as 
the  form  of  entertainment  has  a  most  beneficial 
effect  upon  the  pupils,  who  may  set  a  day  and  invite 
their  friends  to  come  and  hear  them  sing  for  an 
hour.  This  entertainment  may  of  course  take  any 
form,  but  the  best  one  is  a  regular  music  lesson  in 
all  its  phases  ending  with  a  number  of  well-finished, 
well-polished  songs.  This  is  a  very  sensible  form 
of  entertainment,  as  it  gives  the  parents  a  chance 
to  see  what  the  music  work  in  the  schools  really  is. 


138  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

Very  few  have  any  idea  of  it  until  they  see  an  actual 
lesson.  The  effect  on  the  pupil  is  equally  good  as 
it  gives  a  motive  for  the  regular  school  work  that 
the  set  concert  sometimes  lacks,  and  it  can  be  given 
without  taking  any  extra  time  for  preparation. 

COMPETITIVE  FESTIVALS 

Competitive  festivals  are  fine  things,  though 
there  are  few  of  them  held  in  this  country.  There 
should  be  more.  Choirs  may  be  selected  from  each 
school,  or  each  class,  to  compete  with  choirs  from 
other  schools,  classes  or  towns.  One  of  the  best 
ways  to  make  this  selection  is  to  leave  each  school 
free  to  choose  its  own  music  and  choir,  though  the 
kind  of  piece  should  be  outlined  beforehand  as  to 
number  of  parts  and  the  choir  limited  as  to  number 
of  singers.  This  plan  will  result  in  a  good  program 
of  sufficient  variety  to  be  pleasing  to  the  audience. 
The  different  choirs  should  be  marked  by  the  judges 
as  to  beauty  of  tone,  balance  of  parts,  clearness  of 
articulation,  appropriateness  of  selection,  expression 
and  other  points  agreed  upon  in  advance. 

MINSTREL  SHOW 

In  the  wealth  of  possible  musical  activities  in 
the  high  school,  fun  and  nonsense  should  not  be  for- 
gotten. Once  in  a  while  the  old  fashioned  minstrel 
show  can  be  revived.  There  is  a  lot  of  fun  to  be 
derived  from  it  if  it  is  well  done,  and  the  ingenuity 
demanded  in  making  it  original  and  up-to-date  is 


s 

s 
rf 

~§ 

B 


CONCERTS   AND   ENTERTAINMENTS  139 

a  fine  training  for  the  pupils.  Pure  fun-making  is 
one  of  the  most  valuable  things  anyone  can  learn 
either  for  life  or  a  living. 

OUT-DOOR   CONCERTS 

Out-door  concerts  in  warm  weather  can  be  made 
very  attractive.  The  best  way  to  bring  this  about 
is  to  find  a  side  hill  in  some  park  or  field  and  place 
the  audience  on  the  hillside  and  the  chorus  on  the 
flat  below.  All  kinds  of  concerts  can  be  given  in 
this  way.  Music  sounds  well  out  of  doors,  and  the 
added  freedom  and  joy  of  being  in  the  open  throws 
a  glamor  over  even  a  mediocre  program.  The 
audience  should  always  be  asked  to  sing  some 
familiar  selections  with  the  chorus. 

COMMUNITY  MUSIC 

This  is  one  form  of  community  singing,  and  high 
school  students  should  be  given  the  chance  to  help 
the  music  of  the  community  whenever  possible.  A 
band  or  orchestra  is  best  for  an  accompaniment,  as 
the  tones  of  the  piano  do  not  carry  well  in  the  open 
air. 

The  foregoing  picture  of  the  Eastman  Stadium 
at  Anoka,  Minnesota,  is  a  fine  example  of  the  small 
outdoor  theatre.  It  is  built  of  cement  steps  on  a 
hillside  overlooking  the  river.  The  hill  is  about 
thirty  feet  high  and  there  are  twenty  curving  steps. 
The  stage  slopes  to  the  river  in  low  terraces.  It 
will  seat  sixteen  hundred  and  every  one  that  sings 


140  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

or  speaks  there  is  amazed  at  the  perfect  acoustics 
as  the  softest  tone  is  audible  to  the  farthest  listener. 
The  reason  lies  in  the  curve  of  the  seats  and  the 
steepness  of  the  hill.  Instead  of  the  stage  being 
raised  above  the  level  of  the  ground,  there  is  an 
orchestra  pit  lined  with  cement,  four  feet  deep  and 
forty  feet  long,  in  front  of  the  stage.  This  pit 
seems  to  reinforce  the  tone.  All  kinds  of  entertain- 
ments are  given  here,  and  one  of  the  features  of 
every  entertainment  is  the  singing  of  the  audience. 
The  place  is  furnished  with  a  first-class  picture 
machine,  the  words  of  the  songs  being  written  on 
common  window  glass  with  a  stub  pen  and  India  ink 
and  thrown  on  the  screen.  This  is  a  fine  way  to  get 
audiences  to  singing  either  indoors  or  out.  The 
leader  may  either  have  a  pole  with  a  small  knob  on 
the  end  and  point  to  the  words  in  time  or  he  may 
simply  stand  next  to  the  screen  and  put  his  hand  in 
the  strong  light  and  beat  time.  The  audience  will 
be  able  to  follow  perfectly  as  the  strong  light  on 
his  hand  and  the  black  shadow  it  throws  on  the 
screen  will  be  distinctly  visible  to  all. 

People  like  to  sing,  and  audiences  should  be  in- 
vited to  sing  at  every  entertainment.  The  super- 
visor of  music  should  keep  in  close  touch  with  com- 
munity music  of  all  sorts.  Whenever  no  one  else 
in  his  city  is  willing  to  supervise  it,  he  should  be. 

OPERAS  AND  CANTATAS 

The  glee  clubs  and  orchestra  may  unite  and  give 
some  of  the  lighter  cantatas  without  stage  action. 


CONCERTS   AND   ENTERTAINMENTS  141 

They  may  also  unite  and  give  a  light  opera  or  some 
of  the  easier  grand  operas.  Great  care  should  be 
exercised  in  the  selection  of  an  opera.  Only  those 
with  good  music  and  clean  lines  should  be  taken. 
The  Gilbert  and  Sullivan  operas  are  all  fine  mu- 
sically, and  there  is  plenty  of  good  clean  fun  in  them 
all.  If  the  leader  is  not  well  versed  in  stage-man- 
agement, he  should  rent  the  "stage  manager's  prompt 
book"  from  some  musical  library.  With  this  book, 
staging  an  opera  is  an  easy  matter.  A  good  dancing 
teacher,  or  one  of  the  high  school  teachers  who  can 
teach  dancing,  should  help  if  the  leader  himself 
cannot  do  this  part  of  the  work.  With  these  helps 
any  high  school  can  give  an  opera  in  good  shape. 
There  is  always  talent  in  every  high  school.  It  is 
only  waiting  to  be  developed. 

All  the  pupils  who  wish  should  be  encouraged 
to  learn  the  solo  parts  and  contests  should  then  be 
held  to  determine  who  can  do  them  best.  The 
pupils  should  help  select  the  soloists.  They  will 
be  very  honest  about  this.  With  this  plan  there  will 
always  be  understudies  to  depend  upon  if  one  of 
the  soloists  is  ill  at  the  last  moment.  It  is  also 
a  good  plan  to  give  the  opera  twice  and  have  a 
different  cast  each  time,  so  that  as  many  as  pos- 
sible may  have  a  chance  to  sing  the  solo  parts.  The 
foregoing  method  of  selecting  the  solo  parts  will 
obviate  much  heart-burning,  for  it  must  not  be  for- 
gotten that  these  young  people  are  singers,  and  that 
singers  are  very  prone  to' jealousy.  The  wise  leader 
will  see  that  this  is  reduced  to  the  minimum.  He 


142  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC   TEACHING 

will  also  guard  against  the  pupil's  getting  "stage 
struck."  He  should  tell  them  just  what  it  means 
to  go  on  the  stage  professionally.  I  do  not  mean 
the  dangers  of  the  stage,  for  we  no  longer  believe 
that  the  theater  is  the  ante-room  of  perdition  that 
the  truly  good  once  thought  it,  but  these  young  peo- 
ple should  understand  a  number  of  things  about 
theatricals.  They  must  be  taught  the  difference  be- 
tween the  quality  of  their  work  as  viewed  by  friends 
and  as  viewed  by  strangers.  A  performance  that 
would  please  their  friends,  who  go  to  hear  them 
more  than  the  piece,  is  a  very  different  performance 
from  one  given  by  a  professional  company  with  its 
trained  actors,  lavish  mounting,  and  perfection  of 
detail,  attained  by  professionals  only  at  the  price 
of  terrific  toil.  If,  during  the  preparation  of  an 
opera,  there  are  signs  of  pupils'  getting  stage  struck, 
it  would  probably  cure  them  to  have  one  or  two  real 
rehearsals  of  several  hours'  duration  to  let  them 
know  the  difference  between  the  rehearsals  of  pro- 
fessionals and  those  of  amateurs.  If  there  is  any- 
one with  real  dramatic  ability,  who  is  willing  to  pay 
the  price  of  hard  work,  and  whose  talent  shows  in 
the  performance,  this  one  may  continue  his  dramatic 
studies  with  some  faint  idea  of  the  demands  of  the 
professional  stage.  Many  a  famous  person  has 
started  out  in  amateur  theatricals.  Many  others 
have  been  "strung  along"  by  admiring  friends  until 
they  become  unsettled  for  life  simply  because  of  ill- 
advised  flattery  when  they  appeared  successfully 


CONCERTS   AND    ENTERTAINMENTS  143 

in  some  home-talent  play.  This  should  be  well 
guarded  against  by  the  school  opera  leader. 

The  pupils  should  learn  to  sing  the  music  abso- 
lutely in  time  from  memory.  The  leader  should  use 
the  baton  at  every  rehearsal.  He  must  have  his 
forces  so  well  in  hand  that  soloists,  chorus,  and  or- 
chestra are  welded  into  an  efficient  and  expressive 
whole.  In  the  later  rehearsals  and  during  the  per- 
formance, when  the  pupils  know  the  piece  perfectly 
and  can  follow  the  baton,  the  leader  may  vary  the 
time  to  suit  the  action. 

During  the  preparation  of  an  opera  pupils  often 
make  rehearsals  an  excuse  for  unprepared  lessons 
in  other  studies.  Pupils  who  do  this  should  be  re- 
quired to  leave  the  club.  Such  a  punishment  will 
result  in  better  scholarship  and  will  tend  to  remove 
the  "fly-a-way"  feeling  pupils  are  prone  to  possess 
when  preparing  for  some  theatrical  performance. 
It  will  also  make  the  pupil  learn  to  conserve  his 
time,  work  under  pressure,  and  use  his  odd  mo- 
ments. 

OPEN  AIR  OPERA 

Opera  in  the  open  air  is  deservedly  becoming 
popular.  The  supervisor  of  music  in  a  Kentucky 
town  gave  Pinafore  with  her  small  high  school, 
using  a  flat-boat  in  the  river  as  "H.  M.  S.  Pinafore." 
Masts  and  sails  were  easily  erected,  and  though  the 
flat-boat  did  not  look  exactly  like  a  "man-of-war"  in 
every  respect,  imagination  easily  filled  out  the  pic- 


144  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

ture.  Plenty  of  people  came,  and  they  say  it  strained 
some  of  the  rivets  of  the  hill-side  to  hold  them  all. 
They  came  from  far  and  near  to  hear  the  old  opera 
that  has  made  millions  laugh,  and  to  see  it  in  a  new 
setting  in  which  they  could  throw  Dick  Deadeye 
overboard  into  real  water. 

COOPERATION 

The  other  departments  should  cooperate  with 
the  music  department,  in  giving  songs  and  pageants. 
The  scenery,  costumes  and  other  properties  should 
be  designed,  made,  and  painted  by  the  art,  domestic 
art,  and  manual  training  departments.  The  busi- 
ness side  of  all  concerts  and  entertainments  should 
be  taken  care  of  by  the  commercial  department. 
Usually  it  is  difficult  for  this  department  to  find 
enough  real  business  transactions  for  the  pupils  to 
practice  upon.  And  real  problems  are  of  course 
more  interesting  and  valuable  than  the  fictitious  ones 
found  in  books.  As  a  result  of  such  cooperation  the 
music  supervisor  will  be  left  free  to  attend  to  the 
artistic  end  of  the  work  unhampered  by  business  de- 
tails, the  business  department  will  have  real  busi- 
ness to  attend  to,  and  every  one  will  be  interested  in 
the  production.  Where  there  is  no  business  depart- 
ment, a  committee  of  the  pupils  should  look  after 
the  business  end  of  the  entertainments  with  a  teacher 
on  the  auditing  committee,  not  to  keep  the  students 
honest  but  to  compel  them  to  be  business-like,  and 
protect  the  pupils  from  charges  of  mismanagement. 


CONCERTS   AND   ENTERTAINMENTS  145 

REHEARSALS 

Entertainments  of  all  kinds  and  especially  operas 
require  thorough  and  painstaking  preparation.  As 
the  time  of  performance  draws  near  the  rehearsals 
are  apt  to  be  long  and  taxing.  Numberless  details 
must  be  attended  to,  every  one  feels  hurried  and 
the  tempers  of  all  concerned  are  often  strained  to 
the  breaking  points.  Every  one  is  in  a  state  of  ex- 
pectancy and  anxious  to  have  the  show  go  off  well. 
Little  troubles  that  would  never  be  noticed  during 
normal  times  loom  up  like  mountains.  Whatever 
artistic  temperament  (or  temper)  there  may  be  in 
the  company  comes  to  the  surface  and  the  leader 
must  exercise  unlimited  patience  and  use  all  the  tact 
with  which  he  is  endowed.  He  should  explain  this 
to  the  pupils  taking  part  and  warn  them  against  the 
high-strung  temper  and  lack  of  self-control  usually 
attributed  to  musicians.  It  would  be  well  for  him 
to  state  that  during  these  strenuous  times,  like  a  com- 
mander in  battle,  orders  must  be  given  sharply  and 
incisively,  and  even  yelled  at  times  to  make  his 
wishes  known  above  the  sounds  of  chorus  and  or- 
chestra. 

There  will  be  small  mishaps  during  the  per- 
formance that  should  not  be  noticed.  If  sorrowing 
members  of  the  company  refer  to  them,  the  leader 
should  laugh  them  off  as  if  they  were  jokes. 

The  exacting  work  of  rehearsing  which  reaches 
a  climax  in  the  performance,  keeps  everyone  keyed 
up  to  the  highest  pitch.  After  it  is  all  over  there 


146  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

comes  a  reaction.  The  future  seems  to  hold  nothing 
of  interest.  The  pupils  must  now  resume  their 
regular  work  and  again  face  the  humdrum  world. 
The  luckless  singer  who  has  made  a  slip  that  is 
likely  to  call  forth  criticism  finds  himself  still  fur- 
ther down  in  the  dumps. 

AFTER  THE  SHOW 

A  general  jubilation  after  the  performance  is 
in  order.  Every  one  should  stay  a  while  and  talk 
over  the  successful  features  of  the  play.  The  leader 
should  congratulate  every  one,  soloists,  chorus  and 
orchestra.  All  criticism  should  be  taboo  at  this 
time.  A  week  or  so  later  the  company  should  as- 
semble and  talk  over  the  whole  performance  critic- 
ally with  a  view  to  profiting  by  the  mistakes. 

Perhaps  I  am  emphasizing  unduly  this  part  of 
the  leader's  duties,  but,  though  years  have  elapsed, 
I  well  remember  the  feelings  I  used  to  have  after 
I  had  sung  in  a  home  talent  opera.  I  used  to  think 
there  was  nothing  left  to  live  for,  and  dreaded  the 
next  day  with  its  dreary  round  of  necessary  and  irk- 
some tasks.  Everything  seemed  drab  even  after 
the  subdued  glare  of  the  kerosene  footlights  we  used 
in  the  little  "opery  house"  in  the  old  home  town. 
After  I  became  a  supervisor  I  remembered  this  and 
always  made  it  a  point  to  say  nice  things  to  each 
one  after  the  performance,  even  if  I  did  have  to 
strain  one  of  the  commandments  a  trifle  to  do  it. 
1  Here  in  Minneapolis  my  principal  connection 


CONCERTS    AND    ENTERTAINMENTS  147 

with  the  numerous  musical  entertainments  given  in 
the  schools  is  admiring  the  work  of  others.  When- 
ever possible  I  attend  the  dress  rehearsals  and  make 
every  one  believe  that  the  performance  will  be  a 
stunning  success.  Commendation  at  this  time  has 
a  most  salutary  effect.  Occasionally  I  am  a  trifle 
spectacular  about  it.  For  instance,  after  the  per- 
formance of  a  cantata  or  oratorio  I  do  not  wait 
until  the  leader  and  singers  have  left  the  stage  be- 
fore congratulating  them.  It  sometimes  looks  as 
though  I  were  trying  to  get  into  the  lime-light,  but 
all  concerned  seem  to  rather  like  to  have  the  "old 
man"  make  a  little  fuss  over  them  in  public. 

MUSICAL  SOCIETY 

A  musical  society  organized  like  a  debating  so- 
ciety with  constitution,  by-laws,  etc.,  will  furnish 
a  fine  outlet  for  the  musical  talent  of  any  high 
school.  Pupils  who  wish  to  learn  to  appear  before 
audiences  should  join  this  society,  the  elocutionists 
as  well  as  musicians.  The  orchestra  and  glee  clubs 
and  other  ensemble  groups  should  join  as  organiza- 
tions. The  individual  members  of  these  organiza- 
tions may  also  join  as  individuals  if  they  so  wish. 

Xhe  above  pupils  and  organizations  join  as  ac- 
tive members  and  appear  on  the  programs  as  re- 
quested by  the  management. 

The  membership  of  the  society  should  also  in- 
clude associate  members,  who  join  merely  to  attend 
the  concerts  and  entertainments  given  by  the  society. 


148  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

The  general  public  should  also  be  admitted  to 
the  entertainments  of  the  society  by  paying  a  small 
admission  fee. 

If  cleverly  run,  a  musical  society  not  only  will 
give  pupils  a  chance  to  appear  before  audiences — 
a  very  important  part  of  a  student's  education — but 
it  will  be  able  to  make  a  good  deal  of  money  which 
may  be  used  for  some  school  purpose.  Art  for  art's 
sake  is  all  very  well  and  should  be  encouraged,  but 
art  is  all  the  better  off  when  it  can  help  in  other  ways 
as  well. 


CHAPTER  7 
CREDITS  FOR  APPLIED  Music 

THE  subject  of  school  music  credits  is  a  very 
difficult  one  to  deal  with  and  will  be  until  there  is 
a  standard  of  work  established  in  music  teaching 
as  there  now  is  in  other  school  subjects.  There  is  no 
standard  even  in  the  school  chorus  classes  that  work 
under  the  direct  supervision  of  the  school  author- 
ities, in  school  buildings  under  teachers  paid  by  the 
Board  of  Education.  One  high  school  will  sing  the 
Messiah  with  a  perfection  of  detail  and  expression, 
within  certain  limits,  that  few  choral  societies  even 
attain  and  another  school  will  have  only  assembly 
singing  where  the  pupils  sing  a  few  popular  songs 
in  unison.  Both  these  choruses  will  demand  credit 
for  their  work  in  the  same  ratio  that  other  subjects 
are  credited  in  the  same  school.  Where  there  is 
such  a  variety  of  ideals  and  attainments  on  the  part 
of  the  supervisors  who  are  paid  by  Boards  of  Edu- 
cation and  who  are  supposed  to  know  school  condi- 
tions, and  are  able  to  keep  pupils  up  to  some  stand- 


150  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

ard,  what  can  be  expected  of  the  private  teachers 
who  have  no  such  responsibility  to  the  community, 
and  who  depend  for  their  income  directly  upon  the 
way  they  pet  their  pupils  along,  getting  them  to  do 
as  much  as  possible  while  keeping  them  happy  and 
contented  in  order  to  hold  them?  Until  there  is 
some  established  standard  of  attainment  required 
of  all  music  teachers  the  country  over,  there  will 
still  be  a  question  in  the  minds  of  the  school  au- 
thorities as  to  whether  or  not  credits  should  be 
granted  for  music  study  either  in  school  or  out. 

Large  numbers  of  private  teachers  do  not  be- 
lieve in  giving  credits  for  music  study  until  it  is 
systematized  in  some  way.  Many  state  music  teach- 
ers' associations  are  attempting  to  standardize  music 
teaching  in  various  ways,  but  standardization  will 
never  be  accomplished  until  there  are  state  laws 
establishing  standards  of  music,  and  certificates  is- 
sued to  music  teachers  as  they  now  are  to  school 
teachers. 

CREDITS 

There  are  various  ways  of  giving  credits  for  the 
study  of  music  under  private  teachers.  In  this  con- 
nection the  reader  is  referred  to  two  bulletins  issued 
by  the  Bureau  of  Education  at  Washington :  "Music 


CREDITS   FOR  APPLIED   MUSIC  151 

in  the  Public  Schools"  No.  33,  by  Will  Erhart;  "Mu- 
sic in  Secondary  Schools "~No.  ^49,  by  Will  Erhart 
and  Usborne  McConathy.  These  two  books  should 
be  in  the  library  of  every  supervisor. 

The  system  used  in  Minneapolis  is  here  inserted. 

PIANO,  VOICE,   PIPE  ORGAN 

Pupils  of  the  high  school  may  take  lessons  in 
any  one  of  these  three  branches  as  one  of  their 
regular  studies. 

Requirements — Each  pupil  must  ( 1 )  take  one 
thirty-minute  period  a  week,  from  some  approved 
private  teacher,  for  the  thirty-eight  weeks  of  the 
school  year,  (2)  practice  seven  hours  a  week,  (3) 
take  one  period  a  week  in  the  high  school  theory 
class,  (4)  prepare  work  for  the  class  not  to  exceed 
two  forty-five-minute  periods  a  week,  (5)  appear  at 
any  entertainment  given  by  the  school  authorities, 
when  requested. 

Credits — Credit  for  two  years'  work  with  piano, 
voice,  or  pipe  organ  may  be  obtained  and  used  in 
any  course  except  the  commercial  and  industrial 
courses.  The  principal  will  use  his  discretion  in  mak- 
ing substitutions  in  the  courses.  A  pupil  who  wishes 
more  than  two  years'  credit  in  piano,  voice,  or  pipe 
organ  should  enroll  in  the  arts  course.  In  cases 
where  extraordinary  talent  is  manifest,  the  principal 


152  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

may  make  a  special  course  to  meet  unusual  condi- 

Ctions.  Three  credits  will  be  given  for  one  year's 
work,  twelve  credits  for  four  years'  work. 

Note — The  University  of  Minnesota  requires 
fifteen  years  credits  for  entrance.  Of  these  fifteen 
year  credits,  four  music  credits  may  be  used  for 
entrance  to  all  courses  in  the  University  except  en- 
gineering, and  this  school  will  allow  three  credits 
for  music. 

The  theory  class  is  open  to  all  pupils  of  the 
high  school  who  wish  to  take  it,  whether  taking 
other  music  or  not.  No  credit  will  be  given  for  the 
theory  class  alone. 

A  limited  number  of  elective  music  credits  may 
be  substituted  in  the  commercial  and  industrial 
courses  at  the  discretion  of  the  principal. 

In  the  present  state  of  music  teaching  it  is  not 
possible,  or  at  least  it  is  not  feasible,  to  set  up  any 
standard  and  require  all  to  meet  it.  In  the  above 
system  the  pupil  is  given  his  credit  if  in  the  judgment 
of  the  harmony  teacher  or  the  orchestra  leader,  he 
has  made  sufficient  progress  to  warrant  it,  no  matter 
who  his  private  teacher  is.  It  would  be  far  better 
if  there  were  accredited  teachers  who  could  be  re- 
lied upon  to  give  their  pupils  a  good  musical  educa- 
tion and  save  the  supervisor  the  bother  and  expense 
of  keeping  track  of  their  progress,  but  this  is  not 
possible  at  present. 


CREDITS   FOR  APPLIED   MUSIC  153 

It  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  the  above  Minne- 
apolis plan  that  only  the  piano,  pipe  organ,  and 
voice  pupils  are  in  the  harmony  classes.  This  is  done 
so  that  the  harmony  teacher  can  check  up  the  prog- 
ress of  the  pupils  and  determine  whether  they  have 
earned  their  credits  or  not.  At  first  we  adopted  the 
examination  system  and  each  pupil  paid  for  his  ex- 
amination. This  was  soon  vetoed  by  the  Board  of 
Education,  and  the  harmony  teacher  was  enpowered 
to  be  the  representative  of  the  Board  of  Education 
and  grant  credits  as  he  saw  fit  under  the  above 
rules. 

All  pupils  studying  symphony  instruments  are 
compelled  to  play  in  an  orchestra  before  they  can 
receive  credits  for  their  music  study  under  outside 
teachers.  These  pupils  are  allowed  to  enter  the  har- 
mony classes  if  they  wish,  but  are  not  allowed  to 
substitute  harmony  for  orchestra  playing.  Pupils 
should  help  pay  for  their  training  whenever  possible, 
and  as  orchestras  are  very  useful  in  high  schools, 
it  is  only  fitting  that  pupils  who  can  play  orchestral 
instruments  should  help  in  the  school  orchestras  as 
part  of  their  work.  The  orchestra  leader  can  easily 
keep  track  of  the  pupils'  progress  and  credit  them 
accordingly. 

Occasionally  a  teacher  will  be  found  who  does 
not  wish  his  pupils  to  do  ensemble  work.  We  some- 


154  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

times  allow  such  pupils  to  stay  out  of  the  orchestra 
until  some  special  stage  in  his  development  is  reached 
and  still  give  them  the  credit,  but  if  the  teacher  says 
that  playing  with  others  is  liable  to  dull  the  pupil's 
musical  perceptions  and  that  the  pupil  is  to  be 
trained  to  be  a  soloist  we  withhold  his  credit  and 
advise  him  to  seek  a  teacher  who  is  less  finicky. 
We  contend  that  the  pupil  gains  more  than  he  loses 
by  playing  in  the  orchestra,  and  also  contend  that, 
if  we  give  him  the  credit,  he  shall  make  some  return 
to  the  school  by  using  his  talent  for  the  good  of  the 
school  and  community  that  is  educating  him.  He  is 
old  this  very  plainly  and  drilled  in  the  reason  for  it. 
A  pupil  here  in  Minneapolis  is  allowed  to  grad- 
uate with  one-fourth  of  his  credits  in  music  if  he 
wishes.  In  special  cases  a  musically  gifted  pupil  is 
allowed  to  graduate  with  more.  There  are  a  number 
of  cases  now  in  the  high  schools  where  the  pupils 
are  interested  in  nothing  but  music.  With  each  of 
these  the  principal  has  agreed  that  if  he  earn  half 
his  credits  in  regular  subjects  he  will  be  allowed  to 
graduate  with  the  other  half  in  music.  This  is  done 
to  keep  him  from  leaving  school  and  studying  noth- 
ing but  music,  which  is  always  to  be  cleplored. 
These  pupils  know,  of  course,  that  extra  music 
credits  will  not  admit  them  to  the  state  University, 
as  the  University  of  Minnesota  allows  only  four 
year-credits  for  music  out  of  the  fifteen  required 
for  admission. 


CREDITS   FOR  APPLIED   MUSIC  155 

HOW  IT  WORKS 

Such  a  system,  while  by  no  means  perfect,  works 
very  well.  It  seems  to  be  as  fair  as  the  supervisor 
can  make  it.  The  pupils  earn  their  credits,  for  the 
music  requirements  are  a  trifle  harder  than  are  those 
for  any  other  subject.  They  were  made  so  purposely. 
The  average  high  school  student  only  half  works. 
He  comes  to  school  and  learns  to  dawdle  instead  of 
work.  Unfortunately  but  truly,  the  parents  and 
teachers  are  alike  to  blame.  He  is  not.  As  the  or- 
dinary person  does  only  what  he  has  to  in  this 
world,  the  growing  youth  should  be  taught  to  drive 
himself.  This  is  not  allowed,  however,  to  any  great 
extent  in  the  modern  system  of  schools.  Another 
reason  that  the  requirements  are  hard  is  that  people 
are  very  apt  to  think  that  music  is  but  a  fad  and 
that  music  credits  are  a  snap. 

A  large  number  applied  for  credit  the  first  year 
we  offered  them.  After  a  few  weeks  many  saw  their 
error  of  judgment  and  dropped  the  music  for 
something  easier.  That  was  no  surprise.  They  were 
allowed  to  drop  it,  as  we  were  out  to  attract  the 
real  musicians,  those  who  meant  business  and  not 
those  looking  for  an  easy  thing.  Now  only  the  ear- 
nest students  elect  music. 

The  numbers  taking  the  courses  are  somewhat 
disappointing.  When  we  read  articles  in  the  music 
magazines  and  get  letters  from  supervisors  and  pri- 


156  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

vate  teachers  in  other  cities  telling  us  what  a  wide- 
spread demand  there  is  for  music  credits  and  how 
hard  it  is  to  get  the  system  started,  we  smile  to 
ourselves  and  wonder  if  the  demand  is  not  less  wide- 
spread than  we  sometimes  imagine.  Credits  should 
be  given,  and  of  course  there  is  a  demand  for  them, 
but  the  following  incident  may  show  more  plainly 
what  is  meant.  A  personal  experience  may  be  to 
the  point  here. 

A  few  years  ago,  after  I  had  been  in  Minneap- 
olis but  two  years  and  the  high  school  work  was  just 
getting  established,  I  concluded  that  the  time  was 
ripe  to  ask  for  music  credits  for  students  taking  les- 
sons from  outside  teachers.  I  decided  to  go  slow  and 
not  ask  too  much  at  once.  I  made  my  request  to 
the  Superintendent,  who  requested  me  to  lay  my 
plan  before  the  Board  of  Education.  When  I  had 
finished  my  statement,  one  of  them  inquired  why  I 
asked  for  orchestra  credit  only.  When  I  explained 
that  I  had  decided  not  to  be  too  greedy  in  that  line, 
I  was  told  that  when  I  had  a  plan  to  submit,  grant- 
ing credits  for  all  kinds  of  music,  they  would  listen 
to  it.  I  apologized  for  being  so  slow  and  withdrew. 
The  next  week  the  above  plan  was  adopted  with  no 
discussion.  I  had  been  too  slow  for  the  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, but  I  never  committed  that  offence  again. 


CREDITS   FOR   APPLIED   MUSIC  157 

LIMITED  DEMAND 

To  return  to  the  limited  demand  for  credits  and 
the  reasons  therefor. 

Some  time  ago  we  took  a  census  of  the  8,000 
high  school  pupils  and  found  that  approximately 
2,500  were  studying  music  with  outside  teachers  and 
yet  scarcely  500  were  taking  credit  for  it.  Not  a 
very  large  number,  and  it  makes  one  wonder  why 
more  were  not  taking  credit  so  freely  offered  in  Or- 
chestra, Band,  Piano,  Voice,  and  Pipe  Organ.  Most 
of  these  high  school  students  who  are  studying 
music  seem  to  prefer  taking  music  in  addition  to 
the  four  subjects  required  for  graduation.  Let  us 
look  for  the  reasons. 

Every  new  subject  (and  especially  music)  in- 
troduced into  the  high  school  curriculum  must  con- 
tend with  a  number  of  opposing  forces,  one  of  which 
is  the  attitude  (unconscious  usually)  of  the  high 
school  teachers.  The  optional  system  of  choosing 
subjects  in  the  high  school  makes  for  variable  num- 
bers in  all  the  classes,  and  it  is  natural  that  the 
teachers  should  be  interested  in  keeping  up  the  num- 
bers taking  their  particular  subjects.  Since  music, 
to  the  average  high  school  teacher,  seems  but  waste 
of  time,  when  pupils  apply  to  one  of  these  teachers 
for  assistance  in  choosing  their  courses,  a  teacher 
of  this  sort  is  very  apt  to  advise  against  music  and 


158  HIGH    SCHOOL   MUSIC   TEACHING 

other  unnecessary  things  and  suggest  something  prac- 
tical, like  his  own  subject.  In  many  high  schools, 
each  teacher  acts  as  advisor  to  a  group  of  pupils 
and  helps  them  choose  their  subjects  and  make  out 
their  programs.  If  the  musical  pupil  is  assigned  to 
an  advisor  who  has  no  use  for  music,  it  stands  to 
reason  that  his  musical  aspirations  receive  scant 
sympathy  and  he  is  influenced  to  take  something  else. 
Then  again  the  Universities  are  but  just  beginning 
to  recognize  music,  and  pupils  have  to  plan  their 
high  school  courses  to  enter  some  higher  school. 
High  schools  are  getting  more  and  more  practical 
and  courses  are  now  offered  that  fit  the  pupil  for 
some  occupation  by  which  he  will  earn  money.  Mu- 
sic does  not  appeal  to  him  as  a  vocation,  and  so  he 
chooses  something  else.  Added  to  all  this  is  a  some- 
what apathetic  attitude  of  the  private  teachers. 
They  do  not  insist  that  their  pupils  work  for  credits. 

ADVERTISING 

We  advertise  these  courses  in  the  high  schools 
in  the  following  manner. 

Before  the  end  of  each  term  the  above  bulletin 
is  read  and  explained  to  all  pupils  as  they  are  mak- 
ing out  their  programs  for  the  next  term  and  a  copy 
of  it  is  given  to  all  pupils  interested  enough  to  ask 
for  one.  Every  year  or  two  a  copy  of  this  bulletin 
is  sent  to  every  music  teacher  in  the  city.  A  copy  of 


CREDITS  FOR  APPLIED  MUSIC  159 

this  bulletin  is  always  on  the  bulletin  board  of  every 
high  school  and  a  copy  is  always  at  the  door  of  the 
music  room.  Programs  by  the  harmony  students  are 
given  from  time  to  time  at  assembly.  These  pro- 
grams are  made  up  of  original  compositions. 

With  this  publicity  we  let  it  rest  and  the  pupils 
may  choose  it  or  not.  We  feel  that  they  should  not 
be  pressed  and  herded  into  these  classes.  If  they 
want  to  study  music  seriously  they  will  take  it. 
Others  we  do  not  desire. 

The  time  will  come,  and  let  us  hope  it  will  be 
soon,  when  some  general  standard  will  be  required 
of  students  taking  music  and  only  those  of  a  certain 
standard  will  be  given  credits  in  music  the  same  as 
is  now  the  case  in  other  subjects.  This  is  not  possible 
now,  and  there  is  no  standard  among  teachers  them- 
selves, and  we  have  nothing  to  go  by  that  is  general 
enough  to  be  adopted.  At  the  present  time  it  seems 
only  fair  to  give  credit  on  progress  made  and  effort 
put  forth  rather  than  on  some  set  standard. 

We  of  course  recognize  the  music  credits  pupils 
bring  from  some  other  high  school.  We  do  not,  how- 
ever, recognize  the  credits  that  a  pupil  gets  from  any 
private  school  or  conservatory.  If  we  did,  we  should 
have  no  idea  of  their  value  without  an  examination, 
and  so  we  ignore  them  all.  This  works  hardship  at 
times,  but  if  we  recognized  any  private  school  we 
should  have  to  recognize  them  all.  Otherwise  we 


160  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

should  have  to  establish  some  sort  of  system  of  rec- 
ognizing certain  ones  and  ignoring  others,  which 
would  lead  to  many  complications  we  should  prefer 
to  avoid. 

This  system  of  credits  is  a  step  in  the  right  direc- 
tion and  will,  as  time  goes  on,  work  out  to  better 
advantage  as  the  standardization  of  music  is  ac- 
complished and  the  value  of  music  as  an  educational 
and  vocational  force  is  more  and  more  recognized. 
At  present  it  is  on  trial  and  it  rests  with  the  mu- 
sicians of  the  country  to  show  that  it  is  worth  the 
time  and  effort  spent  upon  it. 


CHAPTER  8 
INSTRUMENTAL  AND  VOCAL  CLASSES 

THE  right  of  every  child  to  an  education  paid 
for  by  the  public,  of  which  he  and  his  parents  are  a 
part,  is  no  longer  questioned.  It  is  now  being  rec- 
ognized that  his  education  must  be  both  cultural  and 
vocational.  The  trend  of  education  is  toward  tak- 
ing everything  into  the  public  schools.  Each  year, 
new  courses  are  started  in  the  high  schools  to  meet 
the  insistent  demands  of  the  public  for  complete 
training  that  will  fit  pupils  for  social  as  well  as  in- 
dustrial life.  The  study  of  music  is  coming  into  the 
high  schools  more  and  more  as  people  begin  to  see 
that,  when  rightly  carried  on,  it  combines  mental, 
physical,  moral,  emotional,  and  vocational  training 
of  a  high  order. 

Long  ago  we  found  that,  in  academic  subjects, 
the  class  lesson  was  more  effective  and  more  econom- 
ical than  the  private  lesson.  We  have  since  discov- 
ered that  this  principle  also  applies  to  music,  and 
the  day  of  the  private  music  teacher  is  rapidly  pass- 
ing. Aside  from  the  expense,  which  of  course  is 
very  much  less,  class  lessons  are  better  than  private 
lessons.  In  private  lessons  there  are  no  other  pupils 


162  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

with  which  the  student  may  compare  himself.  He 
loses  the  stimulus  of  doing  the  same  work  others  are 
doing,  and  without  this  opportunity  for  comparison 
he  is  unable  to  set  a  standard  for  himself.  We  little 
realize  the  value  and  power  of  the  training  pupils 
absorb  from  one  another. 

Another  superiority  of  the  class  lesson  is  the  as- 
surance pupils  acquire  from  reciting  before  others. 
This  is  particularly  true  of  the  music  pupil,  who 
needs  all  the  assurance  he  can  develop.  As  he  must 
later  perform  before  people,  it  is  vitally  necessary 
that  he  learn  to  do  this  in  a  self-possessed  manner. 
The  private  pupil  has  little  chance  to  play  before 
audiences  except  at  infrequent  recitals.  In  the  class 
lessons  every  lesson  is  a  recital  where  the  pupil 
performs  before  a  very  critical  audience. 

The  class  lesson  is  better  for  the  teacher.  When 
there  is  but  one  pupil  in  a  class  the  teacher  can  do 
almost  anything  in  the  way  of  teaching  and  not  be 
detected  but  with  a  class  the  teacher  must  observe 
the  principles  of  psychology  and  of  pedagogy  or  he 
will  come  to  grief.  It  takes  real  teaching  to  run  a 
class  in  any  subject,  for  pupils  will  not  do  anything  if 
there  is  not  some  semblance  of  logic  and  order  in 
the  way  the  teacher  works.  This  is  especially  true 
of  music. 

There  is  no  reason  why  music  of  all  kinds  should 
not  be  taught  in  high  schools  in  classes  as  large  or 
nearly  as  large  as  those  in  other  subjects. 

There  should  be  a  conservatory  of  music  as  an 
integral  part  of  every  high  school  and  college,  and 


INSTRUMENTAL  AND  VOCAL   CLASSES         163 

public  education  should  provide  for  the  training  of 
teachers  to  carry  on  the  work. 

It  is  impossible  in  this  volume  to  give  a  very 
exhaustive  study  of  class  lessons  when  each  branch 
of  music  teaching  is  worthy  of  and  demands  a  text- 
book of  its  own.  There  are,  however,  a  few  gen- 
eral principles  that  apply  to  all,  to  which  we  will 
briefly  refer. 

TEACHERS 

It  is  very  difficult  to  find  teachers  capable  of  do- 
ing this  work.  There  are  plenty  of  school  teachers 
who  know  how  to  handle  classes  but  who  do  not 
know  enough  of  music.  On  the  other  hand  there  are 
plenty  of  private  teachers  who  know  music  in  all 
its  phases  but  do  not  know  how  to  teach  classes. 
They  have  never  had  experience  in  class  work  and 
they  know  very  little  pedagogy.  The  average  private 
teacher  of  music  is  perfectly  helpless  when  con- 
fronted with  more  than  two  or  three  pupils  at  a 
time.  He  is  not  to  blame.  He  never  had  a  chance 
to  learn.  There  are  few  if  any  places  where  teachers 
are  trained  to  teach  music  classes  in  voice,  piano, 
violin,  etc.  The  supervisors  of  the  country  should 
see  that  schools  are  established  where  teachers  can 
be  trained  to  teach  music  in  classes.  This  has  already 
been  done  for  supervisors  and  teachers  of  vocal 
music,  but  for  class  teachers  of  voice  culture  and  in- 
strumental music  little  or  nothing  has  been  done. 

Class  teaching  in  music  is  school  teaching  pure 
and  simple.  Whatever  methods  are  good  in  teach- 


164  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

ing  common  school  branches  will  apply  equally  well 
to  music  teaching  in  classes. 

INSTRUMENTAL  AND  VOCAL   CLASSES 

School  teachers  who  are  trained  musicians  make 
the  best  teachers  of  music  classes.  They  have  had 
normal  training  and  know  how  to  teach  school.  With 
a  little  special  training  they  are  able  to  apply  their 
knowledge  of  pedagogy  to  the  teaching  of  music 
in  classes.  Private  teachers  of  music  who  wish  to 
take  up  this  work  should  take  a  course  of  normal 
training  in  regular  school  branches  and  special  train- 
ing with  reference  to  music-class  teaching. 

Until  teachers  are  trained  to  run  music  classes 
successfully,  music  will  not  be  as  universally  studied 
as  it  should  be  owing  to  the  prohibitive  cost  and  the 
meager  results  of  private  lessons.  Developing  piano 
teachers  for  the  Minneapolis  schools  brought  out 
the  need  of  this  training  and  a J)ook*  is  respectfully 
recommended  to  our  readers  as  embodying  many 
things  that  will  apply  to  the  teaching  of  all  kinds 
of  music  classes.  The  chapter  on  class  procedure  is 
especially  recommended  to  those  who  wish  to  give 
classroom  instruction. 

ORGANIZATION 

When  the  teachers  are  trained  and  ready,  how 
shall  the  classes  be  organized?  Who  shall  pay  the 
teachers? 

*  "Giddings  Public  School  Piano  Class  Method,"  Oliver  Dit- 
so n  &  Co.,  Boston. 


INSTRUMENTAL  AND  VOCAL   CLASSES         165 

The  ideal  plan  is  to  have  the  teachers  paid  a 
regular  salary  by  the  Board  of  Education  and  the 
classes  placed  upon  the  same  basis  as  the  other 
classes  in  the  school.  The  number  of  pupils  in  the 
classes,  the  frequency  with  which  they  meet,  and  the 
point  of  progress  at  which  the  pupils  are  expected 
to  arrive,  will  be  governed  by  the  kind  of  music 
taught.  For  instance,  some  of  the  piano  classes  in 
the  high  school  that  are  well  advanced  should  meet 
every  day,  and  individual  pupils  should  play  for  the 
class  often,  when  learning  interpretation.  When  the 
classes  are  not  so  advanced  it  might  be  well  for  them 
to  meet  but  once  or  twice  weekly.  This  will  have  to 
be  decided  by  experience.  In  voice  building  twice 
weekly  and  twenty  in  a  class  has  been  found  to  be 
quite  ideal. 

The  whole  subject  of  instrumental  and  voice 
teaching  in  both  grade  and  high  schools  is  in  an  un- 
developed state.  Comparatively  few  supervisors  do 
anything  with  it  and  those  few  are  experimenting  and 
learning  how  to  do  it  and  trying  to  discover  how 
much  of  this  addition  to  the  regular  curriculum  their 
communities  will  accept. 

The  city  of  Oakland,  California,  has  worked  out 
a  unique  and  efficient  system  of  instrumental  in- 
struction in  the  public  schools,  both  grade  and  high. 
The  teachers  are  paid  by  the  Board  of  Education 
and  any  pupil  in  the  schools  may  receive  lessons  on 
any  band  or  orchestral  instrument  free.  Piano  and 


166  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

voice  lessons,  while  given  in  the  schools  must  be  paid 
for  by  the  pupils.  The  Oakland  plan  is  well  worth 
study  and  emulation.  The  results  are  well  worth 
while  both  because  of  the  numbers  of  pupils  who  are 
learning  music  and  the  number  of  excellent  bands 
and  orchestras  there  are  in  the  schools. 

Through  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Glenn  Woods, 
under  whose  efficient  leadership  this  admirable  plan 
has  been  developed,  a  summary  of  the  Oakland  plan 
is  here  appended. 

SUMMARY   OF   INSTRUMENTAL   MUSIC   IN  THE 
OAKLAND  SCHOOLS 

Instrumental  work  in  the  public  school  system 
depends  upon  three  essentials:  first,  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  supply  the  unusual  instruments  to  the 
children  for  the  band  and  orchestra,  either  through 
concerts  given  by  the  individual  schools  to  raise 
funds  for  securing  them  or  through  'the  Board  of 
Education;  second,  it  is  only  when  the  work  begins 
in  the  lower  grades  of  the  elementary  schools  and 
is  carried  through  the  high  schools,  that  any  con- 
tinuity of  instruction  can  be  secured  or  any  degree 
of  skill  on  the  part  of  the  pupils  can  be  expected; 
third,  the  only  positive  guarantee  that  the  work  in 
the  instrumental  music  will  be  well  done  or  receive 
public  recognition  as  being  worth  while,  is  that  the 
instruction  be  given  by  special  teachers  of  instru- 
mental music  who  are  themselves  able  to  play  the 
string,  brass,  and  reed  instruments. 


INSTRUMENTAL  AND  VOCAL   CLASSES         167 

The  Oakland  Board  of  Education  has  employed 
eight  special  teachers  of  instrumental  music  to  in- 
struct the  pupils  in  the  grade  schools.  It  has  also 
employed  four  teachers  of  instrumental  music  in  the 
high  schools.  All  of  these  teachers  not  only  play 
string,  brass,  and  reed  instruments,  but  are  quali- 
fied to  give  instruction  upon  all  the  instruments  of 
both  band  and  orchestra. 

The  three  ideas  mentioned,  beginning  the  work 
in  grade  schools,  supplying  the  unusual  instruments, 
and  employing  special  teachers,  have  all  been 
adopted  in  the  Oakland  public  schools.  To  meet  the 
second  demand,  the  Board  of  Education  supplied  a 
number  of  rarer  instruments  at  an  approximate  cost 
of  $5,000,  and  placed  them  in  those  schools  already 
having  the  nucleus  of  a  band  or  an  orchestra. 

The  instruments  purchased  by  the  Board,  all 
of  which  are  in  use,  are  as  follows :  twenty-five 
basses,  twelve  altos,  fourteen  mellophones,  a  double 
quartette  of  saxophones,  eight  Fluegel  horns,  two 
trumpets,  ten  French  horns,  five  oboes,  five  bassoons, 
one  piccolo,  ten  string  basses,  bells,  and  tympani, 
five  cellos,  three  trombones,  eight  violas.  Requests 
are  constantly  being  received  for  more  of  these  in- 
struments. 

The  special  teachers  have  at  least  five  schools 
a  week  and  teach  from  eight  in  the  morning  until 
four  in  the  afternoon.  They  give  individual  lessons 
of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes'  duration  to  all 
the  pupils  they  can  meet.  They  average  between 
twenty  and  twenty-five  lessons  a  day,  or  one 


168  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

hundred  and  thirty  lessons  a  week.  The  size  of 
classes  in  which  violin  instruction  is  given  rarely  ex- 
ceeds five  pupils.  While  it  is  frequently  argued  that 
pupils  can  be  taught  violin  in  larger  classes,  it  has 
been  the  practice  of  the  department  of  music  in  the 
Oakland  schools  to  prefer  a  few  number  receiving 
instruction,  and  to  feel  assured  that  those  pupils  are 
receiving  better  training  than  they  would  in  large 
classes. 

Broadly  speaking,  one  idea  is  dominant,  that  the 
pupil  acquire  a  musical  education.  If,  when  he 
comes  to  selecting  a  vocation,  music  is  his  choice, 
then  the  instruction  he  has  received  in  the  public 
schools  will  have  been  of  such  a  character  that  he 
will  be  able  to  continue  his  studies  and  have  nothing 
to  undo  on  account  of  his  instruction  in  the  public 
schools. 

For  those  pupils  then,  who  choose  music  as  a 
vocation,  the  training  will  be  complete  as  far  as 
they  go,  and  those  who  enjoy  music  only  as  a  matter 
of  recreation  will  have  received  sufficient  instruction 
to  instil  in  them  an  appreciation  of  the  best  that 
music  offers,  and  above  all,  to  enable  them  to  par- 
ticipate actively  in  the  performance  of  good  music. 

BONDING  OF   INSTRUMENTS 

To  Parents: 

1.  Bonds  must  be  signed  for  instruments  loaned 
to  pupils. 

2.  The  amount  of  the  bond  simply  covers  the 
cost  of  the  instrument. 


INSTRUMENTAL  AND  VOCAL   CLASSES         169 

3.  Should  the  instruments  be  damaged,  the  par- 
ents must  pay  for  repairs. 

4.  Instructors   will   examine   instruments   each 
month  and  report  condition. 

5.  Should  students  leave  school  and  return  the 
instrument  in  good  condition,    no  charge  will  be 
made  for  its  use. 

6.  Students    to    whom  instruments  are  loaned 
must  continue  their  special  lessons.    It  is  only  just 
that  the  students  be  required  to  practice  regularly 
and  continue  their  lessons  if  the  Board  of  Education 
supplies  the  instruments.   If  the  students  do  not  con- 
tinue their  lessons  and  keep  up  their  regular  prac- 
tice, making  reasonable  progress,   we  reserve  the 
privilege  of  recalling  the  instrument  to  be  assigned 
to  other  students  who  are  anxious  to  avail  them- 
selves of  these  special  advantages. 

Instruments  furnished  by  the  Board  of  Educa- 
tion are  for  use  in  school  organizations  only.  Any 
violation  whatsoever  of  this  rule  immediately  for- 
feits the  further  privilege  of  their  use. 

Recommendation  concerning  the  purchase  of 
new  instruments  will  gladly  be  given  to  parents. 
All  instruments  that  are  recommended  have  been 
tested  and  are  quoted  by  the  dealers  at  special  prices 
to  school  students.  It  is  not  advisable  to  purchase 
expensive  instruments  until  the  pupils  are  sufficiently 
well  advanced  in  their  studies  and  have  proven  by 
their  proficiency  that  their  tastes  and  qualifications 
warrant  such  expenditure. 


CHAPTER  9 

GENERAL  SUPERVISION 
By  T.  P.  Giddings 

THERE  is  a  most  excellent  book  by  Mr.  Thomas 
Tapper  on  the  "Music  Supervisor".  There  are  a 
number  of  other  writings  on  the  subject  of  music 
supervision  and,  though  seemingly  unnecessary,  I 
cannot  refrain  from  adding  a  chapter  on  general 
music  supervision  with  my  own  music  department 
as  an  example. 

That  a  stream  rises  no  higher  than  its  source  is 
especially  true  when  applied  to  school  music.  The 
music  supervisor  is,  or  should  be,  the  fountain  head 
of  music  in  his  town;  he  cannot  avoid  this  responsi- 
bility; upon  him  more  than  any  one  else  depends 
the  musical  future  of  his  city.  The  supervisor  of 
music  is  singularly  alone  in  his  work.  This  is  equally 
true  of  the  supervisor  in  the  small  town  and  the 
large  city.  He  is  the  only  one  of  his  kind  in  the 
place  and  it  is  rarely  that  he  has  the  opportunity  to 
see  others  working  at  the  same  thing  he  is  doing. 
He  visits  other  systems  occasionally  but,  like  every 
other  teacher,  not  often  enough. 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION  171 

SEEING  IS  BELIEVING 

The  only  way  to  learn  what  another  supervisor 
is  doing  is  to  see  him  at  work,  to  see  the  actual  pro- 
cess of  music  teaching.  A  person  may  tell  at  great 
length  what  he  does,  and  still  not  give  a  clear  idea 
of  what  he  really  accomplishes  in  his  schools.  I  have 
heard  supervisors  at  conventions  tell  what  went  on 
in  their  towns.  Later  I  have  visited  them  and  have 
had  the  greatest  difficulty  in  making  the  mantle  of 
charity,  which  is  rather  skimpy  in  my  case,  cover 
what  I  saw.  I  also  have  risen  and  related  what  I  did, 
and  visitors  have  departed  from  my  town  with  a 
firmly  rooted  suspicion  that  I,  also,  am  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Supervisors'  Ananias  Club,  and  yet 
I  am  sure  we  all  mean  to  tell  the  truth  when  we  arise 
and  speak  in  meeting.  The  trouble  is  that  we  are  too 
much  alone,  too  far  apart,  have  no  common  standard 
and  consequently  are  unable  to  see  ourselves  and 
our  work  in  the  right  perspective.  I  have  repeatedly 
said  that  the  Music  Supervisors'  National  Confer- 
ence should  standardize  the  teaching  of  school  music 
and  that  this  standard  should  be  universally  adopted. 
Public  School  Music  will  never  take  its  proper  place 
until  this  is  done. 

STANDARDIZATION 

There  is  one  best  way  to  do  any  work.  This  is 
as  true  of  music  teaching  as  it  is  of  brick-laying, 
and  this  best  way  should  be  found  and  music  teach- 
ing should  not  be  controlled  entirely  by  the  different 


172  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

temperaments  of  the  individual  supervisors.  This 
standardization  can  only  come  about  by  the  frequent 
exchange  of  ideas  between  supervisors.  As  a  step 
toward  this  the  supervisor  of  music  in  each  large 
city  should  standardize  the  work  in  that  city.  Un- 
fortunately this  is  not  always  done  and  we  have 
the  spectacle  of  several  large  cities  where  there  is 
no  head  supervisor  and  each  music  teacher  does  as 
he  pleases  in  his  own  school  or  section.  In  other 
places  different  sections  of  the  same  city  are  under 
independent  school  managements  and  do  wholly  dif- 
ferent work  in  music.  In  other  places  the  high  schools 
and  grades  are  independent  and  there  is  no  continu- 
ity to  the  work. 

In  cities  where  there  is  a  music  director  it  is 
surely  incumbent  upon  him  to  see  that  a  coherent 
system  is  put  into  practice  in  all  the  schools  under 
his  supervision.  A  few  years  ago  a  prominent  super- 
visor asked  me  if  I  ever  visited  my  assistants.  "Cer- 
tainly," I  said,  "and  often."  He  said  he  believed 
it  a  good  idea.  I  was  amazed  to  find  upon  inquiry 
that  he  had  never  seen  any  of  his  assistants  teach 
during  all  the  time  he  had  been  in  that  city. 

ORGANIZATION 

To  make  any  work  effective  there  must  be  an 
organization  to  carry  it  on.  For  purposes  of  il- 
lustration I  will  use  the  Minneapolis  music  depart- 
ment as  an  example.  It  is  the  one  I  know  best  and 
I  feel  free  to  discuss  both  its  weak  and  its  strong 
points.  The  place  is  large  enough  to  serve  as  a 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION  173 

sample  of  the  largest  cities  and  not  too  large  to  be 
typical  of  many  cities  of  medium  size.  It  may  also 
be  interesting  to  read  of  the  different  steps  that  led 
to  this  organization,  for  I  am  old  enough  not  to  fear 
people  looking  behind  the  scenes.  If  my  experience 
will  help  any  one  I  gladly  pass  it  on. 

The  organization  of  a  music  department  is  a 
very  important  part  of  a  supervisor's  work.  This 
organization  differs  with  the  size  of  the  city  and 
with  the  ideals  of  the  supervisor.  All  this,  of  course, 
depends  upon  the  way  he  has  been  able  to  educate 
his  community  into  allowing  him  funds  to  carry  on 
his  work.  This  latter  depends  directly  upon  the  ef- 
ficiency the  music  department  has  been  able  to  show 
in  its  workings  and  results. 

Minneapolis  is  a  city  of  380,000  (1920)  and 
has  many  advantages  in  a  musical  line,  chief  of  which 
is  a  Symphony  Orchestra  of  the  first  rank.  There 
are  a  number  of  fine  conservatories  of  music,  and 
the  people  loyally  support  music  in  all  its  forms. 
Music  has  been  taught  in  the  Minneapolis  schools 
for  fifty-seven  years,  but  previous  to  1912  no  regular 
work  had  been  done  in  the  high  schools.  Never 
more  than  one  supervisor  at  a  time  had  been  em- 
ployed in  the  grades. 

Once  in  two  weeks  the  Superintendent 
meets  the  assistant  Superintendents  and  Super- 
visors in  a  body.  This  meeting  takes  the  form 
of  a  discussion,  in  which  everything  is  talked  over 
and  each  one  ventilates  his  opinion,  if  he  has  one, 
and  a  vote  is  often  taken,  the  Superintendent  and 


174  HIGH    SCHOOL   MUSIC   TEACHING 

Board  of  Education  reserving  the  right  of  final  de- 
cision, of  course.  These  meetings  are  most  valu- 
able to  us  all,  far  more  to  us  than  to  the  Superin- 
tendent, as  in  this  way  all  know  the  resources  and 
possibilities  of  the  school  system.  Each  head  of  a 
department  knows  what  is  going  on  in  the  other 
departments.  Troublesome  questions  are  discussed 
and  help  and  advice  from  a  number  of  interested 
people  are  available.  All  feel  that  these  meetings 
are  most  interesting  and  entertaining  as  well  as  val- 
uable. This  plan  also  saves  the  time  of  all  concerned 
as  well  as  the  time  of  the  Superintendent,  as  this 
meeting  is  a  clearing  house  of  all  questions  that  have 
to  be  discussed  and  settled.  For  instance  if  I,  as 
head  of  the  music  department,  wish  to  make  some 
change  in  my  department,  I  bring  it  before  this 
meeting  and  we  decide  whether  it  is  possible  or  not; 
if  so,  I  go  ahead  with  it.  If  it  affects  only  the  high 
schools,  it  is  then  brought  before  the  principals  of 
the  high  schools  for  their  approval;  if  it  affects 
the  grade  schools,  I  bring  it  before  the  grade  school 
principals  at  their  next  meeting.  Do  not  gather 
from  the  above  that  we  are  a  "soviet"-governed  set 
of  schools;  not  at  all.  There  is  plenty  of  central 
authority,  but  it  is  exercised  so  as  to  secure  cheerful 
cooperation  instead  of  a  grudging  bowing  to  au- 
thority. 

MUSIC   DEPARTMENT 

In  my  own  department  the  same  system  is  used. 
All   questions   concerning   the   department   and   its 


GENERAL   SUPERVISION  175 

workings  and  its  relations  to  the  other  parts  of  the 
school  system  are  talked  over  and  decided  upon  at 
meetings  of  the  whole  department  which  are  held 
at  my  office  from  four  to  five-thirty  every  Monday 
afternoon.  Each  one  has  made  a  memorandum  of 
the  questions  that  have  arisen  during  the  week.  Most 
of  the  time  at  this  meeting  is  spent  in  discussing  and 
settling  these  questions.  This  time  is  also  the  of- 
fice hour  of  the  department.  The  teachers  of  the 
city  come  to  see  us  at  that  time.  Very  few  come, 
however,  as  the  directions  for  running  the  music  in 
the  Minneapolis  schools  are  very  clearly  printed  and 
a  copy  is  placed  in  every  teacher's  hands.  When 
changes  are  decided  upon,  these  changes  are  printed 
in  the  weekly  bulletin.  Even  if  the  question  under 
discussion  affects  only  the  kindergartens,  the  high 
school  music  teachers  take  part.  Every  one  in  the 
department  should  know  what  is  going  on  in  the 
whole  department;  also  I  want  them  to  get  ac- 
quainted with  each  other.  I  want  their  opinions 
and  advice.  While  I  have  the  deciding  vote,  of 
course,  everyone  is  entitled  to  his  opinion  and  a 
majority  vote  is  often  taken  to  settle  disputed  points. 
The  meetings  are  by  no  means  all  serious,  and  many 
a  frivolous  word  is  bandied  about,  for  we  are  all  firm 
believers  in  the  uplift  of  occasional  nonsense  both 
in  school  and  out.  When  our  meeting  is  over,  al- 
ways some  of  us,  and  often  all  of  us,  repair  to  a 
"snatch-me-quick"  and  then  to  a  movie  for  relaxa- 
tion, getting  home  or  to  our  other  engagements 
early  in  the  evening.  Occasionally  we  have  a  picnic, 


176  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

or  an  evening  frolic  of  the  most  informal  descrip- 
tion, to  which  all  the  wives  and  husbands  of  the 
department  are  invited.  When  people  work  together 
it  is  a  fine  thing  to  have  them  know  each  other 
socially  as  well  as  professionally.  When  a  person 
really  knows  another  he  will  usually  find  something 
to  admire  in  him.  There  is  little  or  no  jealousy  in 
my  department,  or,  if  there  is,  it  never  shows.  Each 
one  expects  to  share  all  his  hopes,  fears,  ideas,  and 
ambitions.  "Each  for  all"  is  our  motto,  and  we  live 
up  to  it.  This  has  its  effect  on  the  department  itself 
and  it  also  shows  in  the  work  in  the  schools.  We 
give  a  good  example  of  a  lot  of  songbirds  working 
pleasantly  together. 

PERSONAL 

The  music  department  is  expanding  as  money 
for  such  expansion  becomes  available.  I  would 
gladly  make  great  additions  to  my  department,  but 
with  my  intimate  knowledge  of  the  resources  of  the 
system  I  refrain  from  asking  for  what  I  know  is  im- 
possible to  grant.  Neither  do  I  grunt,  complain,  or 
get  peeved  over  what  I  cannot  have,  but  work  cheer- 
fully with  what  is  available.  There  is  always  an- 
other year  coming. 

At  a  movie  recently  a  choice  bit  of  wisdom  was 
flashed  upon  the  screen  in  one  of  the  great  pictures. 
The  setting  does  not  matter,  but  every  supervisor 
of  music  can  use  the  philosophy  of  the  heroine  who 
said  to  herself,  "If  you  can't  get  what  you  want, 
want  what  you  can  get." 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION  177 

Right  here  I  am  going  to  digress  and  write  a 
short  and  very  personal  sermonette.  I  have  for 
years  attended  Supervisors'  meetings,  rarely  missing 
one.  I  have  known  the  Supervisors  of  most  of  the 
larger  cities  of  the  country  for  lo,  these  many  years, 
and  my  acquaintance  with  a  number  of  them  has 
been  limited  to  hearing  of  the  awful  things  they 
had  to  put  up  with  from  their  Superintendents, 
Boards  of  Education,  Politics  and  Communities. 
These  lamentations  so  scared  me  that  I  remained 
contentedly  in  my  small  place  at  Oak  Park,  rather 
than  brave  a  larger  place.  When  the  opportunity 
arrived  to  come  to  Minneapolis,  which  is  only 
twenty  miles  from  home,  I  took  the  chance  and  came. 
I  am  glad  I  did  it.  In  the  eleven  years  I  have  been 
here,  I  have  had  nothing  to  mourn  about.  Everyone 
has  treated  me  kindly,  I  have  never  been  crushed, 
"Politics"  has  never  touched  me  (we  do  not  have 
them  in  our  city  schools),  and  work  in  a  large  city 
is  far  more  interesting  and  variegated  than  in  a 
small  one.  I  have  worked  hard  of  course,  but  that 
is  what  I  am  paid  for.  I  have  spent  many  nights 
and  not  a  few  Sundays  working  on  my  school  job. 
I  learned  years  ago  that  one  had  to  work  to  get 
anything  done  in  this  world.  I  also  learned  that  I 
seldom,  if  ever,  worked  to  my  limit.  I  have  always 
refused  (not  always  successfully)  to  worry.  I  found 
that  the  best  cure  for  worry  was  to  work  to  remove 
the  cause  for  worry. 

The  supervisor  of  anything  and  especially  the 
supervisor  of  music  can  be  a  vast  help  to  any  system 


178  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

of  schools,  and  he  can  also  be  an  awful  nuisance. 
People  seem  to  look  for  trouble  in  the  music  depart- 
ment, just  as  many  clergymen  refer  to  the  choir  as 
the  "war  department"  of  the  church.  I  well  re- 
member the  first  National  Music  Supervisors'  Con- 
ference I  attended  since  coming  to  Minneapolis. 
On  my  return  the  Superintendent  asked  me  about 
my  impressions.  I  said,  "When  I  listened  to  the 
wails  of  the  Supervisors  and  heard  what  they  had 
to  put  up  with  from  their  Superintendents,  I  re- 
joiced to  be  in  Minneapolis."  His  only  answer  was 
a  grunt.  Then  I  added  that  when  I  analyzed  the 
situation  still  further  and  thought  what  the  super- 
intendents had  to  put  up  with  from  their  supervisors, 
it  explained  a  lot  of  things.  His  response  to  this 
latter  sentiment  was  both  voluble  and  heartfelt. 

Music  supervisors,  more  than  any  others,  should 
be  very  particular  not  to  embarrass  the  school  man- 
agement in  any  way.  Their  connection  with  the  mu- 
sical interests  of  the  city  and  the  feeling  on  the  part 
of  most  Superintendents  and  Boards  of  Education 
that  music  is  something  mysterious  that  they  know 
nothing  of,  gives  the  Music  Supervisor  a  peculiar 
and  powerful  chance  to  make  trouble  if  he  so  wishes. 
It  also  gives  him  the  chance  to  become  a  power  in 
his  community.  Apropos  of  this,  I  was  recently  dis- 
cussing with  a  friend  of  mine  a  certain  point  in  ad- 
ministration. "But  the  whole  public  opinion  of  the 
community  and  that  of  the  teaching  profession,"  he 
said,  "would  be  against  you."  My  reply  seemed  per- 
fectly natural  to  me  but  he  said  it  was  a  staggering 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION  179 

one  to  him.  "That  makes  no  difference,"  I  said, 
"I  make  public  opinion.  That  is  my  job."  It  is  the 
job  of  any  supervisor  and  one  of  his  most  important 
functions. 

MY  CREED 

I  have  a  little  creed  that  I  recite  to  every  Super- 
intendent with  whom  I  work.  I  will  pass  it  on.  It 
has  never  failed  to  establish  and  keep  cordial  rela- 
tions between  us.  I  mean  every  word  of  it  and  do 
my  best  to  live  up  to  it. 

"You  are  my  boss.  Whatever  you  say,  goes. 
Whatever  criticism  you  wish  to  give  me  or  my  de- 
partment on  my  work  will  be  welcomed.  I  have  no 
feelings,  am  not  sensitive.  You  are  responsible  for 
my  work ;  my  good  work  helps  you ;  you  will  get  the 
credit  for  my  poor  work.  I  am  in  this  system  to  do 
my  best  for  the  schools  first,  my  department  next. 
I  will  work  hard  and  cheerfully  under  whatever  con- 
ditions are  necessary.  When,  if  ever,  I  cannot  do 
this,  I  will  resign.  I  will  never  stay  in  a  system  and 
nurse  a  grouch.  You  and  the  school  system  are  en- 
titled to  cheerful,  loyal  work  from  me  as  well  as 
hard  work.  You  shall  have  it.  Whenever  you  see 
signs  that  I  am  not  living  up  to  this,  speak  up,  speak 
hard  and  distinctly." 

ORGANIZATION    OF    MUSIC    DEPARTMENT 

The  Minneapolis  music  department  is  organized 
as  follows : 


180  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

One  supervisor,  who  has  general  supervision  of 
all  music  in  day  and  night  schools,  kindergarten, 
grade,  and  high. 

Three  grade  supervisors.  Two  for  vocal  work 
in  grades  and  kindergartens,  and  one  who  supervises 
and  organizes  the  orchestras  and  instrumental 
classes. 

Nine  special  teachers  of  music  in  the  senior, 
junior,  and  vocational  high  schools.  Five  senior, 
three  junior,  and  one  vocational.  These  spend  their 
entire  time  in  music  work. 

In  the  senior  high  schools,  the  teachers  are  all 
men.  These  men  teach  the  chorus  classes  in  every 
case.  In  some  of  the  schools  they  also  drill  the  glee 
clubs,  orchestras,  and  bands.  In  several  cases  these 
smaller  organizations  are  carried  on  by  regular 
high  school  teachers,  who  work  part  time  in  the  music 
department  under  the  supervision  of  the  music 
supervisor. 

In  addition  to  the  above-mentioned,  one  man 
teaches  harmony  in  all  the  high  schools.  The  pupils 
who  receive  credits  for  outside  music  study  make 
up  the  harmony  classes.  The  high  school  men  also 
do  some  supervision  in  the  grades,  as  it  is  not  well 
for  a  high  school  teacher  of  music  to  do  only  high 
school  work.  He  should  prepare  some  of  the  grade 
pupils  that  come  to  his  high  school,  so  that  he  may 
have  a  clear  idea  of  what  to  expect  from  his  pupils. 

One  teacher  of  voice  culture  gives  class  lessons 
in  all  the  high  schools,  the  pupils  paying  for  the 
lessons. 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION  181 

Each  chorus  leader  in  the  five  senior  high  schools, 
has  an  assistant  to  take  the  attendance  and  do  the 
clerical  work  incidental  to  looking  after  the  large 
number  of  students  in  the  chorus  classes.  These  as- 
sistants are  pupils  in  Public  School  Music  Supervi- 
sion. They  are  glad  to  accept  a  small  salary,  and 
they  also  have  a  chance  to  learn  by  actual  work  in 
a  high  school. 

The  seventh  and  eighth  grades  are  organized  on 
the  departmental  plan  and  one  teacher  takes  the 
music  as  part  of  her  regular  work.  This  teacher 
usually  leads  the  orchestra. 

Grade  teachers  below  the  seventh  grade  teach 
their  own  music.  In  a  few  cases  where  the  teacher 
cannot  teach  music  she  trades  work  with  some  other 
teacher. 

The  Supervisor  of  Music  himself  supervises  the 
upper  grades  of  twenty-five  buildings,  all  the  grades 
of  three  buildings  and  visits  the  other  music  teach- 
ers at  frequent  intervals.  His  program  is  not  reg- 
ular, but  he  leaves  a  weekly  itinerary  card  at  the 
Superintendent's  office  so  that  he  can  always  be 
reached  at  any  time. 

The  assistant  supervisors  visit  the  grade  schools. 
In  some  of  the  buildings  they  visit  all  the  grades 
and  in  others  only  as  far  as  the  seventh  grade.  The 
men  from  the  high  schools  supervise  the  department 
work  in  a  number  of  the  buildings,  as  it  is  found  that 
men  do  not  do  very  well  in  the  lower  grades  but 
as  a  rule  are  more  successful  than  women  with  the 
big  boys  in  the  upper  grades.  The  assistant  super- 
visors have  regular  programs  which  they  follow, 


182  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC  TEACHING 

leaving  a  weekly  itinerary  card  at  the  Superinten- 
dents' office,  and  also  one  with  the  Supervisor.  These 
programs  are  made  out  for  two  weeks  in  advance. 

The  Supervisor  or  an  Assistant  Supervisor  may 
change  his  program  whenever  necessary,  but  when 
this  is  done  he  must  inform  the  office,  and  in  case 
of  assistants  they  must  inform  the  office  and  also 
the  Supervisor  himself  of  the  change.  In  this  way 
the  office  is  always  in  touch  with  the  whole  depart- 
ment and  communication  can  be  established  when- 
ever need  arises. 

In  addition  to  the  above  there  are  a  number  of 
piano  and  violin  and  other  instrumental  class  teach- 
ers. These  teachers  work  under  the  supervision  of 
the  music  department  but  are  paid  by  the  pupils. 
There  is  a  great  central  band  for  boys  in  our  city, 
and  instruction  on  all  band  instruments  is  free  to 
all.  This  band  is  supported  by  an  association  of  pub- 
lic spirited  citizens  and  relieves  the  schools  of  most 
of  the  instrumental  teaching  of  this  type.  These 
pupils  usually  play  in  the  school  orchestras. 

A  supervisor  visits  each  room  in  the  grades  once 
in  six  weeks. 

OUTSIDE  WORK 

As  it  is  increasingly  difficult  to  procure  and  re- 
tain assistant  supervisors,  I  make  it  a  point  to  find 
outside  work  for  them  to  do.  Most  of  them  lead 
choirs  and  teach  privately.  Minneapolis  is  rapidly 
becoming  a  center  for  the  training  of  supervisors. 
At  present  six  of  us  are  in  this  work  in  the  Uni- 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION  183 

versity  and  the  various  conservatories.  Pupils  from 
the  University  classes  are  allowed  to  practise  in 
the  public  schools.  Many  pupils  from  the  conserva- 
tory classes  are  used  to  assist  unmusical  teachers, 
teach  small  classes  of  backward  pupils  in  high 
schools,  work  with  monotones  from  the  grades,  and 
thus  get  practice  in  teaching,  and  help  us  at  the 
same  time.  They  also  play  accompaniments  when- 
ever an  accompanist  cannot  be  found  in  the  chorus 
classes. 

In  addition  to  the  outside  work  that  we  are  paid 
for,  we  do  a  great  deal  of  other  work  in  the  com- 
munity, leading  community  sings,  etc.  We  also  be- 
long to  the  various  musical  societies.  I  am  one  of 
the  directors  of  the  Civic  Music  League  and  in  that 
capacity  am  able  to  keep  in  touch  with  the  various 
musical  organizations  of  the  city.  There  is  the  finest 
spirit  of  cooperation  between  the  musicians  of  the 
city  and  the  public  school  music  department.  They 
support  us  royally,  and  always  include  us  in  their 
activities. 

STANDARD  OF  TEACHING 

As  has  been  stated  above,  all  questions  of  man- 
agement and  methods  of  work  are  discussed  at  our 
Monday  meetings;  and  when  we  decide  upon  any 
procedure,  we  all  adopt  it  and  pursue  it  the  same 
way.  The  assistant  supervisors  do  not  have  certain 
districts,  but  are  assigned  to  certain  buildings,  and 
these  are  changed  occasionally  as  need  arises.  We 
first  agree  on  methods  and  these  methods  are  all  em- 


184  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC   TEACHING 

bodied  in  a  pamphlet  published  by  the  Board  of 
Education,  a  copy  of  which  is  placed  in  the  hands  of 
every  grade  teacher,  and  one  is  carried  by  every 
music  supervisor  and  strictly  adhered  to.  Teachers 
and  supervisors  are  left  perfectly  free  to  do  as  they 
please  on  the  art  side  of  the  work,  but  on  the  me- 
chanical side  the  rules  once  adopted  are  adhered  to 
by  all  until  a  revision  is  decided  upon.  A  revised 
pamphlet  is  then  issued,  and  every  one  adopts  the 
new  rules  and  procedures. 

These  pamphlets  have  proven  so  popular,  and 
we  receive  so  many  calls  for  them  from  other  cities, 
that  the  Board  of  Education  prints  a  number  of 
extra  ones  and  they  are  for  sale  at  twenty-five  cents 
each. 

These  may  be  secured  by  anyone  sending  twenty- 
five  cents  in  stamps  to  T.  P.  Giddings,  305  City  Hall, 
Minneapolis,  Minn. 

"BEES" 

The  music  supervisors  teach  most  of  the  time 
when  visiting  schools.  Occasionally  the  grade 
teacher  is  asked  to  give  the  lesson,  but  only  when 
the  supervisor  cannot  diagnose  the  trouble  by  teach- 
ing the  class.  The  supervisor  must  be  a  good  teacher, 
and  tc  improve  ourselves  we  have  "bees",  as  we 
call  them,  once  or  twice  a  term.  We  all  assemble 
at  the  same  building  for  a  whole  day  and  we  take 
turns  teaching.  After  each  lesson  we  adjourn  to  a 
vacant  room  and  discuss  it  freely  and  exhaustively. 
Everyone  gains  in  power,  and  all  do  the  work  more 
nearly  alike.  This  uniformity  of  work  has  many  ad- 


GENERAL    SUPERVISION  185 

vantages.  When  a  supervisor  changes  buildings  the 
teachers  do  not  have  the  trouble  of  getting  used  to 
a  new  set  of  methods.  When  teachers  or  pupils  are 
transferred  from  one  building  to  another  they  have 
nothing  to  change.  Then  again  the  system  we  agree 
upon  is  the  simplest,  most  direct,  and  efficient  we 
are  able  to  think  up,  and  so  we  all  use  it  and  require 
the  teachers  to  do  the  same.  It  also  makes  us  sys- 
tematic in  our  teaching,  a  thing  that  is  often  difficult 
for  musicians.  These  "bees"  are  held  in  high  schools 
as  well  as  in  the  grades,  and  the  grade  and  high 
school  supervisors  attend  all  of  them  whenever  pos- 
sible, as  I  want  them  all  to  know  all  the  work  so 
that  when  one  of  them  is  offered  a  better  place,  as 
sometimes  happen,  they  will  be  prepared.  While  I 
hate  to  lose  them,  they  go  with  my  blessing  as  well 
prepared  as  I  can  make  them. 

VISITING  DAYS 

These  "bees"  are  supplemented  by  occasional 
visiting  days.  Whenever  in  my  visits  I  notice  that 
one  of  my  assistants  is  weak  in  some  way  and  that 
some  other  is  strong  in  that  line,  I  send  the  one  need- 
ing help  to  spend  the  day  with  the  stronger  teacher. 

In  addition  to  all  this,  it  has  been  the  custom  to 
invite  all  the  music  supervisors  in  the  state  to  spend 
the  day  before  the  Minnesota  Teachers'  Association 
convenes,  visiting  the  school  music  classes.  These 
meetings  alternate  yearly  between  Minneapolis  and 
St.  Paul. 


186  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC   TEACHING 

CONFERENCES 

We  all  attend  the  National  Conference  when- 
ever possible.  We  hope  soon  to  organize  a  club 
similar  to  the  Pulse  Club  of  Boston,  a  club  com- 
posed of  the  supervisors  of  music  in  and  around  the 
city  of  Boston.  I  understand  that  there  are  one 
hundred  and  fifty  supervisors  of  music  within  fifty 
miles  of  the  Hub.  They  have  lively  and  valuable 
meetings,  one  of  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  at- 
tending a  few  years  ago.  The  good  effects  of  this 
club  were  very  apparent  in  the  work  of  the  schools 
I  visited  in  that  vicinity.  There  should  be  more  of 
these  clubs  and  conferences.  Many  other  places  in 
the  country  could  adopt  this  plan  with  great  profit. 

TEACHERS'  MEETINGS 

We  visit  each  grade  teacher  once  in  six  weeks, 
new  teachers  oftener,  and  give  a  sample  lesson.  Each 
supervisor  usually  holds  a  teachers'  meeting  of  a 
few  minutes  whenever  he  visits  a  building.  Grade 
meetings  are  held  occasionally  and  all  the  teachers 
of  the  same  grade  assemble.  I  usually  conduct  these 
meetings  and  there  is  always  a  class  of  children 
present  for  me  to  operate  upon,  for  the  supervisor 
of  music  may  talk  eternally  and  not  make  it  clear, 
but  if  he  has  a  class  on  hand  to  illustrate  what  he  is 
talking  about,  every  teacher  present  sees  the  point 
and  is  helped  by  the  meeting. 

In  addition  a  series  of  optional  meetings  is  given 
each  year  to  which  the  new  teachers  and  those  who 
need  extra  help  are  invited. 


*frs^ 

CHAPTER  10 


HARMONY,  HISTORY,  APPRECIATION 
WHY  PUPILS  STUDY  HARMONY 

A  PUPIL  studies  harmony  to  enable  him  to  put 
his  musical  thoughts  into  intelligible  form.  He  also 
studies  harmony  to  be  able  to  hear  or  see  what  the 
composer  is  saying  as  he  listens  to  a  composition  or 
looks  at  the  printed  page  of  music.  This  requires  an 
intimate  knowledge  of  chords,  progressions,  and 
many  other  facts  of  musical  theory. 

Application  of  the  pedagogical  rule  that  "We 
learn  to  do  by  doing"  has  made  teaching  in  the  mod- 
ern public  schools  very  effective.  Unfortunately 
teachers  are  less  apt  to  use  sensible  pedagogical 
rules  with  older  pupils  though  correct  pedagogy  is 
just  as  important  in  the  high  school  as  in  the  kinder- 
garten. This  omission  gives  rise  to  the  current  say- 
ing that  the  farther  up  in  the  scale  of  education  the 
poorer  the  teaching. 

Apply  the  pedagogical  principle  referred  to 
above,  to  the  study  of  harmony,  and  we  plainly  see 
that  the  way  for  a  pupil  to  study  harmony  is  to  com- 
pose first  and  learn  the  elements  of  harmony  by 
using  them.  When  they  are  learned  in  this  way  they 
will  stick  and  be  useful  at  all  times. 


188  HIGH   SCHOOL   MUSIC  TEACHING 

To  understand  this  still  better,  let  us  look  at  the 
way  two  other  subjects  are  taught.  Years  ago  a  pupil 
in  the  manual  training  department  learned  the  use 
of  tools  by  reducing  a  small  piece  of  board  to  saw- 
dust in  various  ways.  In  the  benighted  mind  of  the 
teacher  (it  doesn't  seem  possible,  but  I  have  seen 
it  done  many  times)  the  proper  result  had  now  been 
accomplished;  the  pupils  had  learned  to  use  tools. 
To  the  keener  mind  of  the  pupil  it  was  plain  that 
the  result  of  all  that  time  and  hard  work  was  nothing 
but  sawdust,  and  it  is  no  wonder  he  had  to  be 
scourged  to  his  classes.  Later  it  was  found  that  the 
use  of  tools  could  be  far  better  taught  by  letting 
the  pupil  make  something,  and  now  manual  training 
is  one  of  the  most  useful  and  interesting  subjects  in 
the  whole  curriculum. 

When  the  usual  high  school  student  graduates 
after  several  years  of  work  in  some  foreign  lan- 
guage, can  he  use  it,  can  he  talk  it,  can  he  read  it? 
Hardly.  Why  not?  Because  he  has  learned  it  back- 
wards. He  has  in  mind  numbers  of  unrelated  words 
and  masses  of  grammatical  rules,  and  when  he  wants 
to  use  this  language  he  has  to  mentally  paw  over  this 
mess  of  facts  until  he  exhumes  the  right  one.  He 
has  to  use  so  much  energy  thinking  about  the  lan- 
guage, that  he  is  unable  to  think  in  it.  It  calls  to 
mind  the  story  of  the  disorderly  old  lady  who  had 
a  place  for  everything,  and  everything  in  it, — a  deep 
bureau  drawer.  When  she  wanted  anything  she  took 
a  stick  and  stirred  three  times.  If  it  came  to  the 
top,  she  used  it.  If  not,  she  concluded  it  was  lost 


HARMONY,    HISTORY,    APPRECIATION          189 

and  either  went  without  or  bought  another.  The 
foreign  language  student  of  any  age  should  learn  it 
as  he  did  his  mother  tongue.  He  should  use  it  first 
and  by  this  use  learn  the  grammar. 

The  harmony  pupil  usually  studies  harmony  just 
as  he  does  a  foreign  language  and  he  uses  it  about 
as  much  and  as  well  after  he  graduates.  The  student 
of  harmony  should  compose  first.  He  should  write 
numberless  things  and  learn  the  different  elements 
of  harmony  by  use,  and  then  his  knowledge  will 
function.  He  will,  moreover,  be  interested  in  his 
music  work,  for  he  will  have  always  at  hand  the 
fruit  of  his  labors  in  the  shape  of  compositions  that 
he  can  take  home,  keep,  and  enjoy  the  same  as  the 
manual  training  student  takes  home  the  things  he 
makes  to  be  used  and  admired  in  the  home  circle. 

Here  is  a  great  field  in  the  musical  education  of 
high  school  students  and  one  that  is  practically  un- 
touched. Teachers  do  not  know  how  to  do  it.  Books 
of  the  right  kind  are  not  available.  While  a  number 
of  authors  of  harmony  books  have  vaguely  seen  this 
pedagogical  principle  and  have  tried  to  follow  it  out, 
no  one  has  as  yet  succeeded.  Until  some  fine  musical  / 
pedagogue  and  composer  arises  and  writes  a  compo- 
sition, analysis,  harmony,  and  counterpoint  book,  all 
in  one,  in  which  the  pupil  is  enabled  to  start  and 
work  logically  in  the  field  of  theoretical  music,  this 
most  important  branch  of  musical  education  will  not 
function  as  it  should  and  will  be  looked  upon  askance 
by  the  educational  powers  that  be. 


190  HIGH    SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

HISTORY  OF  MUSIC 

The  place  of  music  history  in  the  high  school  is 
a  very  debatable  one.  Every  one  should  know 
some  music  history  as  well  as  some  general  history. 
Many  teachers  are  trying  to  sandwich  music  history 
in  with  appreciation  but  music  appreciation  is  hear- 
ing music  and  not  hearing  about  it. 

The  solution  of  the  music  history  question  is  to 
incorporate  it  with  general  history.  In  this  way  stu- 
dents would  get  an  idea  of  the  history  of  music  in  its 
proper  setting  as  a  part  of  the  development  of  the 
human  race. 

Some  day  someone  will  write  a  general  history 
combining  the  history  of  the  fine  arts  as  well  as  the 
usual  things  now  found  in  the  histories  that  pupils 
study  in  the  high  schools.  Until  then  very  little  mu- 
sic history  will  be  taught.  When  this  book  appears 
every  one  will  have  a  chance  to  learn  it. 

MUSIC    APPRECIATION 

This  important  subject  deserves  a  book  by  it- 
self. This  chapter  will  but  touch  a  few  points. 

The  amount  of  available  material  is  so  vast  that 
it  is  very  difficult  to  select  that  which  will  return 
the  most  value  for  the  limited  amount  of  time  that 
can  be  spent  on  the  subject.  The  present  tendency  is 
to  allow  Music  Appreciation  to  crowd  out  other 
work  in  music. 

This  subject  naturally  divides  itself  into  two 
classes :  Music  Appreciation  for  every  one  and  Mu- 


HARMONY,    HISTORY,    APPRECIATION          191 

sic  Appreciation  for  the  budding  professional  mu- 
sician or  those  particularly  interested  in  the  subject 
and  who  wish  to  go  into  it  more  deeply. 

Every  pupil  should  take  the  first  kind  the  same 
as  every  one  takes  chorus.  These  two  should  be  in 
a  sane  combination.  All  pupils  should  learn  to  ap- 
preciate the  music  they  are  performing,  no  matter 
what  form  it  takes.  This  is  too  often  neglected. 
This  part  of  Appreciation  should  be  for  all  pupils 
and  should  go  hand  in  hand  with  the  work  of  listen- 
ing to  music  others  make  either  with  talking  ma- 
chine, piano  player,  orchestras,  etc.  They  should 
be  encouraged  to  attend  concerts  whenever  possible. 
Music  memory  contests  are  very  valuable  if  they  do 
not  crowd  out  all  the  other  music  work  as  they  so 
often  do. 

The  English  department  in  both  grade  and  high 
schools  should  use  the  Music  Appreciation  for 
themes.  A  union  between  the  English  and  Music 
departments  could  here  be  made  very  strong  and 
profitable.  Some  day  a  clever  writer  will  bring  out 
a  book  telling  how  this  can  be  done.  A  number  of 
people  are  now  trying  to  work  this  union,  but  no 
comprehensive  plan  has  as  yet  come  under  our  notice. 

Needless  to  say  this  general  course  in  apprecia- 
tion should  be  planned  to  take  advantage  of  local 
conditions.  Here  in  Minneapolis  the  Symphony  Or- 
chestra is  a  great  help.  There  are  four  special  con- 
certs each  year  for  the  young  people.  Admission 
is  fifteen  cents  for  teachers  and  pupils  of  the  schools. 
The  programs  are  sent  out  several  weeks  in  ad- 


192  HIGH   SCHOOL  MUSIC   TEACHING 

vance  and  are  studied  by  all  the  pupils  in  the  three 
upper  grades  and  the  high  schools.  As  many  as 
the  auditorium  will  accommodate  hear  these  concerts 
and  the  effect  on  the  musical  life  of  the  schools  is 
very  marked. 

In  addition  to  the  above  general  work  in  Ap- 
preciation every  high  school  should  offer  intensive 
courses  for  those  who  are  particularly  interested  in 
music.  Critical  Analysis  might  be  a  better  term  than 
Music  Appreciation.  These  classes  should  be  small 
like  the  classes  in  other  high  school  subjects,  should 
meet  every  day  and  be  credited  the  same  as  any  other 
major  subject.  This  is  already  being  done  in  a  num- 
ber of  high  schools,  but  here  again  there  is  no  gen- 
eral system  as  the  subject  is  so  vast  and  the  number 
of  things  a  class  may  study  is  so  great  that  it  is  very 
difficult  to  map  out  a  course  that  will  fit  the  pupils 
and  give  the  best  returns  for  the  time  spent. 

The  following  books  will  be  found  helpful. 

Music  Appreciation — Hamilton. 

Music  Appreciation — Stewart  MacPherson. 

Music  Appreciation — Surette  and  Mason. 

Music :  An  Art  and  a  Language — W.  R.  Spauld- 
ing. 

Listening  Lessons  in  Music — Agnes  F.  Fry- 
berger. 

What  We  Hear  in  Music — Anne  Shaw  Foulk- 
ner. 

The  Victor  Book  on  Music  Appreciation. 


' 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  AT  LOS  ANGELES 

THE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARY 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below 


21 1938 


Sir 

*  n 


MAY  23 


1940 

MAR  1 2  1940 


46 

Form  L-9-15m-2,'36 


•  '  LV 


APR  3  0  1958 
27     59 


JUN  2  1941 


JAN  1 
FEB 


' 


FEB   4 
101950 

FFB  1  7  1956 

yJWiVEHSITY  of  CALIFORNIA 


UC  SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 


A  A      000041780 


